These Bonds
by ZoMg1010
Summary: He was sure his face was red by now upon looking at what he had just seen. Sasuke wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment."My son...is screwing the Kazekage's daughter." Nope, he'd rather not deal with a pissed off Gaara. The kid is on his own./ Collection of oneshots dealing with Sasuke's and Hinata's children. Now rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: YATTA! My first oneshot collection. I always wanted to do this for some reason. Yes, this is SasuHina, but it doesn't really focus on them, more on their children actually. This idea was based by my somewhat AUish fic that I'm planning that is also SasuHina. But these oneshots are AU from my AU fic. I hope that makes sense. I just wanted to try something completely light and humorous since I'm used to dark and angst filled stuff. The first chapter will seem confusing, but more will be revealed in others. The Au fic I'm working on deals with a lot of political stuff, so these stories will also be filled with some decent amount of politics. But it's more about Sasuke's and Hinata's kids growing up in Konoha and how they deal with the hatred.**

**The first kid introduced is the eldest, Uchiha Hajime. A little kid genius, and somewhat of a spoiled brat. Hope you end up liking him.  
**

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Konoha: New home

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* * *

The pouring sky thundered late at night. Large rain drops slammed against the Uchiha residence, giving the illusion of hammers fighting their way into the old manor. Uchiha Hajime, almost five year old son of Uchiha Sasuke and former Hyuuga heiress Uchiha Hinata, watched the angry water splatter against the living room window. Large, black eyes stared, wide-eyed, at the morbid beauty the thunderstorm seems to give during night. The full moon only enhanced the essence of it all.

It was extremely late, he knew but he couldn't sleep. The little boy awoke from what seemed like bombs setting off; he noticed it was only a little lightning clashing at night, but he couldn't get back to sleep. He had tried reading but the sounds outside were too loud for him to concentrate so he settled on looking at the frightening sight.

_Touchan is a lightning element, isn't he, _The boy wondered, proud that his own father was this cool and powerful.

Sighing from slight boredom, Hajime figured he should at least get to his room. The little Uchiha slowly got up from his seat on the floor, and turned to go to his room, but a sudden _boom _caused the boy to yelp out in surprise. His feet twisted awkwardly from moving too fast, and unable to catch himself, Hajime grabbed onto the first thing he could touch, which was a coffee table with a lamp on it. His small hands grabbed the edge of the wood; however his weight caused the small table to shift downward. Landing on the floor, Hajime noticed the lamp falling down thanks to the full moon's light and braced himself for the inevitable crash.

He winced slightly once the sound of glass breaking rang throughout the room. He knew that it had woken up one if not both of his parents (he hoped it wasn't his very, very, _very _pregnant mother). They were ninjas after all, and therefore were more aware of their surroundings than most people. At least, that was what he read in a book.

So, when the lights flicked on, Hajime sheepishly sat up to a sitting position, smiling slightly at his father's narrowed eyes.

"What are you doing, Haji?" Said boy winced at the tone of voice his father used. Touchan never did like waking up from his sleep.

"Sorry," the boy whispered, "I didn't mean to…I couldn't sleep."

Sasuke looked from the window to the guilty boy and sighed, face softening up. "Are you scared of thunder?"

Hajime shook his head. "Of course not," he frowned slightly. "It woke me up 'cause it was too loud, that's all."

Sasuke's lips twitched at the pouty face his son was giving him, and leaned against the living room's doorframe. "Did you try reading?" His son nodded. "Warm milk?" This time, Sasuke fully smirked when he saw Hajime scowl. "Counting sheep?"

"Touchan, I know I'm a little kid, but don't pa…patwonise me."

"Patronize," Sasuke corrected, making his son blush slightly. He jerked his head towards the broken lamp. "Your mother is going to pitch a fit when she sees this in the morning."

The boy cringed at the thought. "Can you help me clean it before she wakes up?" The boy's face brightened considerably when his father nodded.

Father and son quietly worked side by side. Sasuke didn't allow Hajime to touch the glass, not even the little shards, but instead instructed him to get a broom and a wet towel. They finished in ten minutes. Ten minutes too long if you ask Hajime, but he rarely got time to spend with his dad since their life had been turned upside down, so the little boy didn't complain at all.

"Still not sleepy?" Sasuke asked once they both sat on their white couch. He leaned back against the cushion, placing a large hand on his son's black-haired head.

"Not really, you?"

Smirking, Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "Not anymore."

The five-year old giggled softly, knowing that he was the one to blame. "Sorry." But he wasn't, since this was the first time in weeks they got to spend time together. Those damn Konoha people were invading their lives a bit too much for the boy's comfort. "I miss home." The young Uchiha suddenly mumbled.

Sasuke blinked at the statement, taking notice at his son's sad frown and sorrowful eyes. He suddenly felt as if this was his fault.

Sasuke was fully aware that he was once an S-rank missing-nin, one that had been internationally wanted. He never planned on kidnapping the Hyuuga heiress, he never planned on falling in love with her and he certainly never planned on having kids. How did one raise a family while simultaneously trying to avoid being imprisoned and/or killed? Being captured was inevitable, but he only wished Hajime was spared of this fucking situation. How can he tell his little boy that were was no escaping this fucking village. He had a choice, thanks to that damn dobe, but death was not something he wanted for his renewed family. He would bare this place just for them. However, he never considered that Hajime just might hate this place as much as he does.

It really was his fault. They could have hidden better, used better identities, or _something_ to avoid any shinobis. They had a comfortable, normal, and happy life, something Sasuke hadn't had since he was a kid himself. He be damned if something were to ruin it. Only it was, and now they were imprisoned. They could freely roam this village and all that bullshit, but imprisoned all the same.

A small weight shifted on his lap as a small pair of hands held either side of his cheeks. Sasuke blinked confusingly as his son pulled his face down to give him a disapproving stare.

"I hate it here, touchan, a lot. B-But kaachan told me that we're safe here, so…" embarrassed, Hajime glanced down. "I know you don't want to be here either, but…thank you for keeping us safe."

Sasuke wanted to say a lot of things to him, but he could hardly express his emotions without feeling like a bit of his pride was bitten off, so he it showed the best way he could; through actions. Sasuke softly pried off his son's hands off his cheeks. With a small smile the twenty-four year old ruffled the boy's hair. With his other hand, he placed a large hand on his son's small shoulders. It always amazed him how intelligent his four year old is. At such a young age, the boy had a larger vocabulary than Naruto does now. The kid is also extremely observant.

"Did I ever tell you you're too damn smart?"

Feeling a bit arrogant at his father's praise, Hajime puffed out his chest a bit. With a big grin plastered on his chubby face, he rubbed the back of his head. "I know! I'm labeled as a genius for a reason, touchan." He suddenly scowled lightly. "And don't say bad words, kaachan hates it."

The Uchiha winced. "Just don't say them in front of your mother."

Sasuke inwardly grimaced. Hinata is eight months pregnant and therefore moodier and angrier than Sakura on her fucking period. Who knew the sweet, innocent, soft-voiced little princess had a set of lungs on her? Oh wait, he did, since he's been through this once before.

He just decided he didn't want any more kids after the second is born.

"Kaachan is…when will the baby be born?"

Sasuke blinked, mentally thankful for his son interrupting thoughts better left forgotten. "January." The boy glanced down, eyes…worried? Scared? Feeling a bit confused by his son's sudden mood change, Sasuke lightly tapped the bottom of his chin. "What's wrong?"

Hajime shook his head, glancing away from his father's piercing gaze. "Nothing."

"Haji." Said boy winced at his father's voice. There was underlying warning in his tone, and the four year old knew better than to lie to his own flesh and blood, especially when that flesh and blood could easily interpret his lies with a single bloody gaze.

Feeling immensely embarrassed and a tad bit ticked off, Haji's felt his cheek burn with color. A color he knew very well. Sometimes he hated how much he inherited from his mother. "What if…" he swallowed, still not meeting the man's gaze. "What if you guys like the baby more than me?"

Sasuke immediately felt himself stiffen from the innocent question. Flashbacks of his father's stern gaze and proud eyes directed at Itachi and _only _Itachi caused the older Uchiha to mentally sigh. _I should have seen this coming_. He admitted to himself. Haji reminded him a lot of him when he was a kid; stubborn, bratty, passionate, smart, playful, and easily annoyed. He once had a silly fear that his mother preferred other kids than him because his own father didn't seem to like him, so why would she? It was stupid, he knew, but his mother's love was the only thing he had to parental guidance. Even now he felt as if his reason was perfectly justified. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

Yet…he didn't want his son to think that way. The day Hinata told him she was pregnant with their second child he vowed that he would _never _treat his children as if they were inferior to one another. He knew what that felt like, he knew what that had done to his stability and he didn't _want _his kids living the life he had. One of them would hate the other, simply because he showed more attention to a certain one, just like how he secretly hated Itachi during his childhood.

He was anxious—worried?—that they could end up having the same complexities that he has.

He was also validated as mentally unstable. Insanity can be inherited. Would Haji or the second kid end up hating this place to the point of no return, just like him? What the hell was he supposed to do if they _did_? Kill them? Injure them? Protect them? _Encourage them_?

Sasuke realized just how unstable he has been since he returned this fucking village. His mind, when not around his son or wife, was filled with nothing but blood spilling all over Konoha. He wanted nothing more than drive his katana into each and every single person walking the streets. The elders especially. His mouth would curve up into a feral grin, almost predatory. And his fingers just…_itched _to grab hold of his sword to be done with his birth place.

No, this was not something Sasuke wanted for his kids. He did not _want _them becoming raging maniacs whose only wish were nothing but filled with hatred and revenge. He did not want them to feel as if they had to compete against each other just to see who was the stronger of the two. He did not want them having these…_fucking issues _he has with losing and winning. It was not right.

Looking down at his son's withdrawn face, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to say to the kid how much he loved him, how he would care for them both equally, and how no matter what _his family _would be the only good and most important thing in his life. Without them, he had no purpose—his life was meaningless.

But he wasn't good with words.

Impulsively, Sasuke lifted two fingers and lightly tapped his son's forehead. Something inside him, something bittersweet, squeezed his heart till it was warm upon realizing what he had just done. Yet, he schooled his face to be impassive, but soon softened at Haji's peeved face. "Don't be stupid." He lightly said, humor lacing his voice.

The little Uchiha's frowned brightened into a shy smile upon looking at his father's face. He didn't have to express it vocally, but Hajime knew what his father was trying to say. "Love you too, touchan." His smile further widened when he saw Sasuke look awkwardly away.

They stayed on the couch that night, talking about nothing and everything at once…well, Hajime mostly talked, but Sasuke listened and commented when needed, fully absorbed by his son's animated gestures. Once he realized his son stopped speaking, Sasuke knew he was asleep. He was comfortably lying on his chest, small fist tucked beneath his chin. Instinctively wrapping a protective arm around his son's body, Sasuke allowed his own body relax and drift off into nothingness.

Despite hating—_fucking hating_—Konoha, Sasuke knew this place was his best chance at allowing his kids some level of normalcy. And he would bear through that rage just for them.

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**I think I should change the rating to M. I'm not too sure. Anyway, I hoped you liked the first chapter and continue to read. Please leave a review if you feel up to it, I would really love to read what you thought of it. Oh, Haji's personality will go more in depth in the next chapter. I feel as if I didn't do him enough justice.**

**DISCLAIMER: I would love to own Naruto, then I would make Sasuke and Hinata together and they could have as much babies as they want. Alas, I do not own and never will. Shame.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello! Sorry, but this chapter is SUPER short: 346 words, yo. I purposely kept this one short because this is sort of an introduction to the younger siblings and it gives you an idea of how Hinata acts when she's prego (the shy ones are so violent...trust me). So, yeah, the chapter will be longer and more serious than this one. **

**I would like to thank:** SasuHina**, **Saki-Hime**, **poprockwitch**,** Saihei**, **damnheart.o3**, **Kagekuri**, **crookshies**, and **The Only Sane One **for reviewing****. I would also love to thank al****l those who read, favorited, and followed. **

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Insanity

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* * *

At seven years old Haji knew that his mother was once again pregnant.

How did he know? Well, he might not have enough knowledge on pregnancies (damn touchan), but he recognized all the symptoms from when she was pregnant with his two-year old sister, Hitomi. And trust him he was _not _looking forward to nine months of this crap.

"Let's go take your sister to the park," touchan practically _demanded_ while gently setting said toddler against his hip. He watched the former heiress walk almost angrily back and forth through their kitchen. She was muttering something under her breath…something like "filthy".

_But…we already cleaned five minutes ago._

With a stiff nod to his father, Haji glanced skeptically towards kaachan. He was almost positive the woman had no idea they were even there, or leaving for that matter.

"We'll be back in an hour," Sasuke called over his shoulder. As expected, Hinata didn't respond.

It was a relief his mother was ignoring them, but Haji's conscious kicked in at the last second. "Do you think it'll be safe to leave her alone?"

Sasuke latched onto the boy's hand as if he was going to bail to stay with the unstable woman. "She's fine." The Uchiha winced slightly from the little girl tugging on his hair, which amused her greatly if her loud squealing wasn't a giveaway.

Haji tried again. "But—"

"She's _fine_." It wasn't hissed or angry in anyway. Instead, Haji found a tone that disturbed him: pleading. His father was scared of his "loving" wife just as much as he was. With that unsettling thought in mind, Haji swallowed and looked forward.

He would not look back and feel _guilty_.

As both father and son accompanied the little toddler they each shared a similar thought:

_I don't want any more brothers or sisters._

_No more kids. _Ever_._

Nine months later, twin boys, Uchiha Kiyoshi and Ken, were born. Three years later, Hinata was once again pregnant with their last child, Uchiha Toshiro. And the insanity bloomed once again.

Haji blamed it all on his father.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I updated quickly just in case some of you weren't satisfied with the length of the last chapter. This one has six pages, so it's around 3,000 words...more or less. No, just checked, it's 2,500 words. ANYWAY, I said that I would post a serious chapter, but I decided to do that for the next one. This one is KIND of serious but stupid at the same time. I'm REALLY thinking about changing this into M, since there are a lot of vulgar words.**

**Warning: Expect some misspelled words. Hajime is an almost five year old kid, his vocabulary is great, he just can't pronounce some of his words right, so yeah.  
**

**I would love to thank **SasuHina**, **nikols**, **maxridelover**, **rao hyuga 18**, **Saki-Hime**, and **SasuHina Lover **for reviewing as well as everyone who read, followed, and/or favorited this.**

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Haji is Not Amused

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Hatred was usually never a word associated with Konoha. Since the end of the war a few years ago, peace held and coddled all countries, so no conflicted had arisen. Of course that did not mean that malice or threats did not exist.

Uchiha Sasuke knew this for a fact.

He never planned on returning to this fucking village, and he certainly never planned on never coming back willingly. Falling in love changed things, though. Kidnapping the Hyuuga heiress for Tobi's selfish gain was something he could have cared less about at the time, but somewhere along the way the woman somehow crawled her way under his skin and thawed his cold heart. He didn't want it; not her love and everything else in between. If he was being honest with himself, he was terrified that something would take her away, and his shattered mind just couldn't take in anymore pain, so he avoided her.

That didn't last very long.

Two years later, Hinata was pregnant with their child, so they ran away. It wasn't until four or five years later after Haji was born, and Hinata being pregnant with their second child, did he decide it was best to return to the village.

He was a wanted criminal, one that had to be killed on spot or arrested depending on which country territory he was trespassing. Sasuke would only admit to himself that his family was lucky Naruto was Hokage, otherwise Hajime would have been taken away from him. The former avenger would have been executed, and the Hyuuga would have taken their second child while Hinata rotted in prison.

They've only been in this place for a good two months, yet the murder intent radiating off of everybody he walked by, ninja or not, was almost palpable. Sasuke hoped they were stupid enough to attack him; ever since he came back his hand has just been _itching _to grab his katana and slice everybody in half. Maybe then his temper would cool off a bit. He wouldn't have bothered on coming if only it weren't for the fact that if an ANBU found them, then it meant death for his family. Despite whether he was on a certain location or not; Uchiha Sasuke, and Uchihas in general, were hated by many ninjas. He did not want to see his family being slaughtered again, so he swallowed his pride and asked help from his former comrade.

Now the fucking council members were deciding what to do with them. Not that he was worried since he already made an argument they couldn't dismiss. It's that fucking old hag that gave him problems. She wanted to take _his _kid and _raise _him as her own instead by a "monster" and a willing "whore". Fortunately for that bitch, Naruto stopped him from puncturing a chidori though her chest. That senile shit didn't care for Hajime's well being, but only wanted the child to manipulate him. Not that Sasuke should worry if she had won custody; Hajime was already labeled as a genius ever since the advisors had seen the four-year old potential, which included his intelligence. His son was smart enough to know who to trust and who not to, and right now the only people the kid trusted were his parents.

The council decided to have ANBU follow Sasuke and Hinata as well as escort them everywhere until further notice. This also meant their new home, so their sex life has been little to none at the moment. It has made the Uchiha on edge lately. But despite having no freedom, their son was free to do as he pleased, even enter the academy if he so choose to. He'd had to thank that lazy Nara one day.

Both Sasuke and Hinata were against the thought of their four-year old learning the set of skills to master the art of killing, but Hajime begged and begged, saying how he wanted to be as cool as touchan, and damnit! Sasuke gave in; Hinata smiled.

And now here he was, walking towards the academy to pick up his son, all the while ignoring all the glares as well as the ANBU stalking him from behind. The bastard.

"Go somewhere else, Rat." Sasuke growled at the man.

The man behind him giggled as if he heard some hidden joke. "Sorry, but this isn't up to you. Dickless and the council agreed on this. Too bad."

"Tch." As always, Sasuke felt his lips twitching at the ridiculous nickname Sai came up for Naruto. It was amusing to say the least. "Go hide; Hajime hates you." He mentioned that last part with a smug smirk.

"The feeling's mutual."

As soon as he said that the ANBU disappeared within a cloud of smoke just as they reached the academy's entrance. Looking around, Sasuke noticed his son wasn't waiting outside for him like he usually did. He immediately knew something was wrong. Despite being a four-year old, Hajime wasn't spontaneous. The kid never did anything to somehow worry his parents; he thought through everything with his large, innocent and intelligent eyes.

Tensing, Sasuke entered the school. Memories of his time at the academy flooded his mind as he roamed the hallways. His eyes were focused, but he felt as if he was taking a trip back in time. He kept seeing that blond idiot screaming at the top of his lungs, shouting as if he was on the verge of death, "I'm going to be Hokage one day, dattebayo!" Funny, the kid always annoyed the hell out of him (still does), he even hated Naruto, but now…

Time changes people.

He refused to call the idiot his friend because he wasn't that. Sasuke had tried _relentlessly_ to severe those bonds a long time ago, but he has failed just as many. The idiot doesn't get it; Naruto isn't something as simple as a _friend_. Both knew that whatever bond tied them together was something very strong that just couldn't be explained by terms.

As cheesy as that sounds, it's fucking true.

And as his dark gaze glided around the building, the feeling of…forgetting just kept attacking. He wanted to forget the _amusing _time he spent in this school. The village he once swore to protect was the reason behind his whole clan's deaths. They _forced _his brother into murdering people he _loved_. Hearing all that was just so fucked up that it literally severed all sanity from his mind; he just couldn't handle hiding _that _bloodlust anymore. It saw an opportunity and it struck, and he has never been the same since. Remembering his time at the school made the feeling all the more worse.

Sasuke felt like swallowing the building in black flames just to spite his childhood memories. _This place ruined you! It ruined your life, don't forget it! _Yes, he _knew _that already. Maybe he was some masochist, who knew.

He didn't want that for his son because the Uchiha knew that the citizens all hate him. They can't hurt Sasuke so they try to hurt the defenseless one. Both Hinata and Sasuke knew their son _would _be attacked one day one way or another; it was only a matter time. Haji already hates it here, but as time passes that hatred will increase tenfold and who knows what will happen.

_He'll end up like me_. The former avenger scowled at the thought.

Sasuke stopped walking, facing the room Hajime studied in. His gloved hand held onto the handle to slide the door open when a malicious voice stopped him in his tracks. It was in the room in front of him. With blooded eyes narrowed, Sasuke quietly opened a bit of the door to peek through.

"Uchiha, you brat, I ought to kick your ass!" A boy_, _one that is probably three years older than Haji, pointed an angry finger at the little boy. The kid had red hair, tanned skin, and green eyes. He was also scowling heavily, clearly enraged at the sitting five year old. Haji ignored the standing boy's yells as he looked out his window. "Hey little shit, you deaf or something?"

"Or somefin'," Haji mumbled. Sighing, the little Uchiha rested his chubby cheeks against a fist. His eyes were still glued to the window. "Maybe you're too stupid to realize that I has no interwest to argue with you."

Gritting his teeth, the red head slammed both fists on Haji's desk and yet the boy did not move a muscle. "The hell you don't; you _punched _me."

A shrug. "You deserved it."

The other boy scoffed. "No I didn't!" Hajime ignored the kid's glare. "I'm stuck in here because Iruka-sensei took your side."

Another bored sigh. "I'm in here, aren't I? Obviously we're both at fault, though everything goes down to you."

"It was just a damn book!" At that statement, something in Haji seemed to crack. Mentally, Sasuke face palmed. Seeing the oncoming onslaught of rage, the Uchiha relaxed to enjoy the show.

The raven haired child stood up from his desk, knocking his chair backwards at the sudden motion, and he slammed both small hands on the table. He glared at the older boy, though the other wasn't backing down. "Just a book? Just a _book_?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. _Here we go_. "I oughta punch you again, and then beat you down with this desk for saying somefin' so…p-p…preproshers!"

_Preposterous_, Sasuke mentally corrected.

The little boy grabbed a fist full of the red head's shirt and pulled him down to his eye level. "I was in the middle of learning about _military tactics_! Does your stupid mind comprahend what that means." He shook him. "I doubt it since you're so _stupid_."

"Calm the hell down Uchiha."

"Shut up," Haji pushed him away, though, but leered down at the kid. "I don't care if you call me names, I don't care if you hate me, I don't care if you think I'm a book worm, and I shertainly don't care if you think I like attention, which I _don't_…idiot," that last part was muttered with an eye roll. "But if you as so much insult my family, or touch my fings, I. Will. End. You."

"So…does that me—"

Haji nodded. "_Especially _my books." He pointed at the older child. "If you don't get me another copy of the book you _tore _apart, I will beat you up."

This didn't frighten the red head. "Heh, as if. You're just a brat, what the hell can you do?"

Obviously the boy was just as stupid as he looked. No one screws with the Uchihas.

The little Uchiha closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, two red gazes glared at the nervous looking kid. From where he could see, Sasuke saw his son's immature tomoe spinning. "Just 'cause I'm little, does not mean I can't fuck you up. I won't say it again," the boy leaned down. "You _will _get me another copy and I _will _have it by tomorrow, or _else_."

"Sasuke?" Said man jumped away from the door, feeling as if he's been caught in some certain act. When his dark eyes landed on Iruka, he suddenly felt guilty. Like a child being caught stealing from a cookie jar. "Ah, sorry for keeping Hajime-kun so long, but…something came up."

Composing himself, Sasuke slid the door open, stopping his son from further scarring the kid for life. "What happened?" He directed the question to Iruka as he walked into the disturbingly familiar room. Wasn't Konoha rebuilt?

Seeing his father's disapproving glare, Hajime deactivated his sharingan. He sheepishly smiled at the man and moved away rather quickly from the boy on the floor.

"What happened here, Hajime?" Iruka's stern voice caused the boy to snap his head at his direction.

"Nothing, sensei! We were just chatting!"

The boy seemed convincing enough, though both men weren't buying it. The other kid wasn't even denying it, but watching his shaky form get up and all the while avoiding eye contact from the almost five year old caused one man to become irritated and the other disapproving.

"Iruka," Sasuke turned his back to his son. "What happened?"

Closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, the aged man sighed. "These two boys got into a fight…over a book."

Yeah, he suspected as much.

"Your son here," Iruka continued, now looking right at said boy with a frown, "punched Yuki-kun, but the young man has been antagonizing him for weeks, so I guess I wasn't surprised."

"Just disappointed," Sasuke answered. His former sensei nodded, though he wasn't agreeing with him just stating his own feelings.

His son is a very temperamental boy when his buttons are pushed enough, and it is not an enjoyable experience for _anyone_. Though the kid isn't rebellious and is level-headed, he gets angered too easily and sometimes over the most idiotic things. Like his books for example. No one was allowed to read to his sister but him and if they dare disobey then damn that poor bastard to hell. If a stranger touched him, then expect that person to have a missing finger.

Yeah, the kid has a temper. Sasuke wonders where he got it from.

"Haji," the father looked over his shoulder, "let's go."The boy gulped, but tentatively stood beside him. He clutched his father's sweat pants, but did not dare make eye contact. "We're leaving."

"Yes, otousan."

"B-But, Sasuke-kun," Iruka stepped in front of the door sending his former student a disapproving look. "I haven't finished punishing the boys."

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets. "Don't worry about it." He walked by the teacher and left the classroom.

It was only once father and son were outside did the little boy build the courage to speak. "Um…tousan, I'm sorry. It's just the baka pissed me off so fuc—"

"I'm taking all your books away, Hajime."

The boy's black eyes widen. "W-what? T-Tousan…why?"

"You are also not allowed to play with Ayumi while she's here, nor go to the park for a month." Sasuke bluntly stated, sounding detached.

Hajime seemed more devastated. "Ayumi-chan? Bu-but, t-touchan! She's only staying here for another week and, and…I'll just ask if her father can play with me, yeah?"

"I'll tell Gaara not to allow his daughter to play with you, Hajime. It's as simple as that."

"Bu…"

Sighing, Sasuke placed a reassuring hand on his son's head. "Haji, what you did was not right, along with the vulgar words—which I know you got it from Naruto—I didn't appreciate your behavior." Hajime kept his head down. "This is what you call "grounded", consider it a lesson."

"Ye-yes, touchan." Hearing his son sniff and wipe his tears away caused the Uchiha to feel a _bit _guilty, but he needed this, so he wouldn't give in to his son's wishes.

After two days of Hajime's constant sulking and crying, Sasuke finally allowed the boy to spend time with Gaara's daughter. He…he was _a bit _too harsh on the kid after all, might as well let him spend time with his friend, right? Sometimes he wonders if he's too soft on the children, but then he'd see their smiling faces and just didn't seem to care anymore.

No, that does not mean he _spoils _them.

Hinata disagrees.

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**DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own Naruto. Sasuke and Hinata would have made out by now if I did.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Seven pages, yo. Had trouble with this chapter, which is why I delayed it (thank god this story isn't plot orientated), but here you go! Oh, guys, 12 reviews in the last one. I know that doesn't seem a lot to you guys, but each one made me smile so reading so much just made my heart explode with good feels! Oh, btw, this chapter is the serious one I was talking about, so not a lot humor, I'm afraid.**

**I would LOVE to thank: ** maxridelover**, **SasuHina (Ah, happy belated b-day! You see, we're awesome bc we share the same b-day as Nauto XD)**, **Saki-Hime**, **Saihei**, **itachisgurl93**, **rao hyuga 18**, **Dude Lika Ninja **(love your username btw), **Idiotwhocanthinkofapenname **(your username is genius), **Guest**, **SasuHina Lover**, and **Nene! **I would also love to thank all those who read, favorited and or/ followed. You guys are EPIC.**

**Disclaimer: Fuck, I wished I owned Naruto. Sasuke and Hinata would be doing the nasty...you think I'm kidding. (-.-) I'm not.**

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Nii-chan to the Rescue!

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Uchiha Hajime didn't realize how much he cared for Hitomi, Kiyoshi, Ken, and Toshiro until he reached the age of ten. Granted he cared immensely for his five year old sister and three year old brothers and his baby brother before that, but that was before he experienced something called brotherly instincts. He has read about it somewhere before, but the concept seemed ludicrous and only for someone who is temperamental. He completely ignored the fact that his own temper wasn't something to be proud of, but he didn't count; he's pretty fucking amazing if he did say so himself.

Anyway, because he was used to all the attention given to him by his parents, he found it immensely unjust to heed his sibling's needs before his! He was the first born after all! Not to mention how touchan is _completely _wrapped around Hitomi's little fingers; it's infuriating! She was spoiled, the twins were spoiled, the baby was spoiled, and he was left forgotten.

"Nii-chan!" Haji, snapped out of his thoughts, reluctantly eyed his younger sister from across the kitchen table.

Even he had to admit she was cute…no, it was _too _cute and _too _annoying.

The little girl inherited their mother's large eyes and indigo hair. Her bangs were swept to the side to complement her heart-shaped face. Yes, despite being the only girl in the bunch of siblings, she looked more like their father than _he _did. Her eyes took away some of the innocence. The right was white and the left black. He overheard his parents saying it was some sort of mutation in her DNA that caused her to inherit both doujutsu. She was a freak by definition, but Haji felt jealous.

It was stupid, though, so he pushed those thoughts away.

"What?"

Hitomi grinned widely at him, making her strange eyes shimmer with excitement. "Um, do you think you can take us to the park?" Hajime looked towards the two boys who were also gleaming with hope.

But he wasn't in the mood.

"No," Haji proceeded to stab his fork into the pancake kaacan made for breakfast all the while ignoring the dejected frowns on his sibling's faces. He also ignored the narrowed look his father was giving him.

"Hajime." Said boy forced himself to respond to Sasuke.

"Hn?"

From where he could see, his mother was giving him a knowing smile, but immediately went back to caring for the fidgeting new-born in her arms. Instead Hajime's dark eyes were directed toward his father.

He didn't look too happy.

He found himself not giving a damn.

"What's wrong?"

Haji realized that Sasuke wasn't angry by the soft tone lacing his father's voice, but concerned. He felt himself warming up, but he was angry and wouldn't let touchan get to him so easily.

Rubbing the back of his neck rather roughly, Hajime got off from his seat. "Wow, you actually care."

Hajime grabbed his sister's hand before their parents could respond. "Let's go?" He called out to his little brothers.

They all screamed a loud "hurray" and it drowned out their parent's callings. He shut the door in their faces and puffed everyone away from the manor and to the park.

Hajime knew he shouldn't disrespect his parents in that form, or ever for that matter. But, damnit, it wasn't his fault he was fucking jealous of his siblings. It was as if touchan and kaachan cared more about them than him. The baby, Toshiro, got the most attention from their mother, while Hitomi, Kiyoshi, and Ken received more attention from their father. And he was left forgotten. It pissed him off.

Then ten-year old's footsteps were heavy with reluctance as his sister dragged him to the swings. The twin brothers were pushing each other to get to the slide. Despite his anger, he loved them greatly and he felt his eyes softened as he watched the younger children play.

"Haji-nii, can you push me?" Hitomi wiggled in her seat to emphasize her request.

Hajime felt his will break as his sister sent him a wide, closed eye smile, making his own mouth lift into a small grin. "Sure." Damn his soft heart.

An hour later of unexpected fun, Haji didn't feel the malicious chakra until he heard one of his brothers scream. When his sister's swing came down he grabbed onto the rope to stop it. Eyes blazing, he looked over his shoulder. The ten year old couldn't see them, but this sharingan was able to detect where the unfamiliar chakra was coming from.

"Stay behind me, Hitomi," Haji didn't wait for a response as he grabbed a kunai from his leg pouch. He felt a small hand grab onto his shirt.

He started slowly, ninja training kicking in, but once he heard a sharp cry of his name being called out all knowledge flew out the window. He grabbed his sister's hand and ran toward the direction of the voice. They were behind the monkey bars and the scene caused Hajime's blood boil. Soon enough, the two tomoe in his eyes spun wildly.

There was a chuuin, the same instructor who had abused him during his short time in the academy. He held Ken by the throat, choking the life out of him. The older twin, Kiyoshi, was punching and kicking the man's leg with tears streaming down his pale cheeks. The instructor had a sick twisted grin that made Hajime's stomach turn.

The man's hand tightened. "Die, Uchiha."

That was when he snapped.

With a flick of a wrist, an accuracy accomplished through practice, the kunai pierced the chuuin on the hand. The man yelped and unclenched his hand, dropping the coughing three year old while he was being held by Kiyoshi.

"You fucking bastard!" Haji screamed as he ran towards the older man, tackling him to the ground.

Hajime is a chuuin and was already recommended by the Hokage himself to become a jounin. This bigger man did not scare the boy; he knew he was more skilled as well as farther intelligent than this loser will ever be. However, that did not change the fact that the murderous man _was _physically stronger and _much _bigger than he was. And though the man's face was bloodied an bruised the unexpected right hook took Haji's breath away. He flew off the chuuin and landed with hard thud on the concrete floor; the boy wheezed heavily, barely aware of his sister shouting for him.

"You little shit," the man spat blood out as he slowly got up; not noting the ten-year old's hand movement. "You and the rest of the kiddies will die here."

_Almost there._

"The Uchihas are no good," his former instructor muttered angrily. "They killed my family—you—_your _clan ruined my life! So I'll ruin yours."

_There._

Hajime took a deep breath…

_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!_

A large fire ball shot out of his mouth.

The older chuuin let out a blood curling scream as the fire hit him, melting his skin and clothes. This was his chance.

"Hitomi," Hjai grabbed his sister's shoulders. She looked frightened, but the older brother ignored it.  
"Take the twins and _run _home, okay? Do you understand?" Hitomi nodded, making fat tears spill out of her eyes. "_Go._"

The little girl sobbed, but followed his orders. Clumsily, she ran past the burning man and towards her cowering brothers. She held each of their hands; however they cringed and tensed more at the sound of metal clashing. Hitomi knew her brother was strong, very strong, but she just couldn't _stop _the thoughts of "What if he died" out of her mind. _No_. Haji-nii trusted her in this, she won't stand helpless and let them all die. She'll get her brothers to safety and she will get help.

"Come one Yoshi, Ken, let's go." She tugged. "I have to get you to kaachan and touchan. Th-they'll help us, o-okay?" They still did not budge, and she became desperate. "Guys, _we have to go_. Nii-chan will..he-he will d-die if we don't _get help_!"

A scream pierced her ears, making her strange eyes to widen in fear. The skin on her body seems to crawl at how…much the man is _suffering_. He was begging, crying, _screeching_! Be quiet! Hitomi's breath became ragged and harsh, burning and burning her fast beating heart. Holding tightly to her brothers, the five year old held their faces to her chest, because they were scared and she was protecting them, right? Someone…will come and protect them. Someone will come and protect her. Where was nii-chan?

A harsh screech caused the little girl to squeak in fear. Why won't he shut up?! What happened? _Turn_. _Move_.

Her body obeyed her brain; hands gripping tightly to her brother's heads, Hitomi tried looking over her should—only for a large, but gentle hand to stop her movements.

"Don't look." The girl's shoulder visibly sagged with relief once she recognized the voice as her father's. "Haji's fine," he continued. "I'm proud of you, Hitomi."

Shaking her head, the Uchiha girl began to cry again. "T-Touchan…th-the man almost k-k-killed K-Ken." Roughly wiping the tears off her face, the girl wailed as she held her twin brothers in a tight embrace. "I was s-so s-s-scared."

There was a few beats of silence that seemed to only penetrate Hitomi, because she _knew _the man was still whimpering somewhere in the distance and she knew her mother was desperately whispering to Hajime about something, but this silence…_Touchan_.

Then, the three children were engulfed by a large, and tender person—their father. "It's okay, you're safe now. Thank Kami you're all right."

For once in her short life, she heard tears lace her father's deep voice.

**...**

"I'm _fine_, tousan." Hajime pushed a hand away. "It's just a minor bruise; it'll go away."

Closing his eyes, Sasuke sighed in relief. The brat was still the same.

They were back in their manor. Hajime was bed ridden on constant persistence from his frantic mother, while his younger siblings were checked into the hospital; one for injury, and the other two for psychological evaluation. Toshiro was yawning in his arms at the moment. Sakura giggled in the seat next to the young boy, but cleared her throat at the threatening look the kid was giving him.

"I don't know how many times I have to say this, Sasuke-kun, but Hajime-chan—"

…both adults heard said boy mumble out, "Don't use chan." But it was left ignored.

"—will be healed by tomorrow."

"Told you," Hajime pouted and folded him arms.

Sasuke grunted. His dark eyes went down to his baby son. Already, he could tell the new born will grow up to look exactly like him; he looked just liked that when he was a baby himself. The only difference was be Toshiro's hair color, and his eyes; he inherited his mother's byakugan. Shiro was looking up at his father, fist in his mouth, and then he smiled and raised his other tiny hand towards Sasuke's face.

Smirking softly, the Uchiha allowed his child to grab his finger. "Sorry," he muttered to the ten year old, though he wasn't sorry at all.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"The injury I saw on Ken-chan's neck…" there was hesitation, but Sasuke didn't bother to force the statement out of her mouth because she was a medic and a damn blunt one as well. "It could possibly be fatal."

Both Uchiha men glared at the pink-head, not in anger, but in worry. "What's going to happen to him!?" Hajime impatiently questioned.

Sasuke, though killer intent palpable enough for Sakura to feel, was calmer. "Explain."

_Damn it, Sasuke-kun_, the medic shifted her emerald gaze away from his bloodied one; she _hated _when he activated it and stared at her with them, whether he was aware of it or not. It was nerve wrecking and it brought up unwanted memories. "He won't die, if that's what you're assuming," Sakura scowled. _But he _should _be, _Sakura thought. "Don't underestimate my medical nins, Sasuke."

"Then _what the hell_ is wrong with him?" Sasuke was losing his patience; it made the Uzumaki on edge.

Sakura knew the unstable Uchiha would never do anything…grotesque in front of his children, nor will he ever do _anything _to harm them in any shape or form. However, that does not change the fact that Sasuke is _unstable _and very _paitent _when he wants, or needs to be. She has seen him do things when the opportunity struck, particularly, revenge. And when it came to his family, that vengeance was ten times worse.

The man that attacked the little Uchihas, Aiba Yuu, was a perfect example. Sasuke and Hinata knew something had gone wrong when the children didn't come over an hour. Knowing that she was going to be needed, Hinata begged her to come and knowing that their children were involved, Sakura whole heartily agreed.

The scene she saw in the park would forever be scarred in her mind.

Don't get her wrong, she has seen plenty of dead bodies and blood before, but she had never seen a man, someone that she knows and loves, _torture _someone to the point of no return. Hajime was knocked out, thank Gods, so he wasn't mentally scarred for have witnessing all the horrifying ways his father had broken and sliced the man. If he was conscious, Sakura highly doubted Sasuke would have done anything of the sort.

No, more than likely, he would have killed Yuu right then and there. That would have been less grotesque, at least.

Once Sasuke had seen Sakura, he simply told her, "I want him to suffer."

She understood; if someone was hurting one of her babies, they had to pay the price, but Yuu was a Konoha citizen and he had the right to have a trial…but Sasuke was a prisoner so he had to pay the punishments. Maybe…maybe if she just healed him a bit, then the charges would be less harsh.

So, she healed the disgusting man. Sasuke didn't like it, but he was already headed for his children. Knowing that Hajime was going to be fine, Hinata took her three kids to the hospital and demanded Sasuke to keep Hajime in bed.

In short, all bets were off concerning his children, which included her.

"Ken-chan, from what I could tell before Hinata frantically sent the kids to the hospital when I was right _there," _Sakura gave Sasuke a pointed glare, which was ignored, "it was horribly bruise, e.g. internal bleeding, which means Aiba more than likely broke a vessel." The Uzumaki tapped her chin in thought. "Which would explain why he was having trouble breathing."

"Please, Sakura," said woman stiffened at the tight voice, "tell me why I shouldn't be worried?"

He was being sarcastic, but Sakura, losing her sense of fear, rolled her eyes at him. "Sasuke-kun, Konoha has the highest level of medical nins in all of the countries, and I'm running the hospital after Tsunade-shishou's retirement. Like I said, _do not _underestimate my men and women."

Hajime spoke up, "He'll be fine, right?"

Sakura smiled at the bed ridden boy. "It'll take a while, but yes, he'll heal. My nins will stop the bleeding, and give him some medicine so that the vessel can close and heal."

"That bastard popped the vessel?"

Sakura nodded, frown equally as threatening as the man she was agreeing with. "He literally squeezed too tight to the point that it…_popped_. Honestly, I'm surprised Ken's even alive." The woman immediately tensed once she heard Hajime's loud hiss and saw Sasuke's murderous glare. "I-I'm sorry, Sas—"

"Whatever," he growled. "You can leave now."

Sakura got up without hesitation, bowing, she left the Uchiha men alone in Hajime's room.

"Tousan, I'm sorry." The boy said as soon as she left.

At first Sasuke was confused, but upon looking back earlier in the morning, he smirked. Shifting the squealing child in his arms, Sasuke poked Hajime on the forehead. "Don't apologize; I know how you feel, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to feel that way."

Nodding, Hajime grinned. "I understand now. I understand why you guys hover so much over them." He chuckled. "You used to be that way with me; I thought it was because you guys just wanted to annoy me."

"_Haji_."

The boy ignored his father's warning tone. "But, tousan and kaasan were only protecting me, right?" He didn't wait for his father's answer, already knowing what it was going to be. "I've been a bad aniki, and I want to make it up to them."

Sasuke smiled thinly at his son as he placed his baby brother next to him. "And how are you going to do that?" Watching his oldest son poke his youngest on the stomach, making the baby laugh, it made Sasuke's heart warm with a bittersweet taste.

Hajime chuckled at the baby's reaction. Then, he met his father's eyes; determination and something like…promise radiating off of them. "I promise to protect them, even if it costs me my life."

That night, Sasuke allowed his family to sleep in Ken's hospital room. All the kids cuddled and hugged Hajime, and he held them protectively against him. Both parents knew Hajime was growing up; they didn't know whether it was good, or bad.

_He won't want to be around us as much_, one thought. Frantically, she hesitantly exclaimed how their oldest would one day be embarrassed of them. Her husband simply shushed her with a kiss.

"You worry too much," he whispered as to not wake the children or the baby sleeping in the hospital crib next to where they were sitting at.

Hinata frowned. "B-But…aren't you worry he's growing up too quickly?"

Sasuke shrugged and hugged his wife to his chest where she laid her head and maybe he could _finally _get some sleep. "It's part of life."

Yet, in the back of his head a voice kept whispering: _It's too soon. It's too soon_. It made him irritated.

Damn his parental instincts.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: So sorry for the late update. I thought I'd have more time during the break, but apparently I was too damn busy with family shit and other school shit as well. Piss me off. Anyway this chapter is through other people's POV, though Haji will be in there as well. This is the first part of this short story, and I will post the second part once I'm finished with it...which won't be the next chapter. The next one will go more into depth on Ken and Kiyoshi's character, and after that one will two more that will focus more on Hitomi and Toshiro.

This chapter deals with political stuff, and the second one will be more, along with other peep's POV

ANYWAY, I would LOVE TO THANK: Saki-Hime, rao hyuga 18, nikols, Guest, SasuHina, NENE, Idiotwhocantthinkofapenname, and SasuHina lover for reviewing (and yes, as I mentioned above). I got a lot of new followers and people who favorited and I'm glad you guys in enjoy this so far to stick with it. I'm not satisfied with it myself. I seem to rush through things. I have A LOT to improve on.

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Naruto, Obito and Madara would be dead by now. The Juubi would be crush by Naruto and Bee's awesome friendship powers and I wouldn't have to deal with Kakashi's murder...poor Obito.

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The Meeting: Part I

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_How troublesome_, Temari reluctantly thought. Eying the —one, two…_eight_!—kids with a frown, she directed her sour expression to her husband.

Nara Shikamaru rolled his. "Troublesome woman, let us in." The Nara shifted his sleeping daughter until her head rested against his shoulder. "The Kages are having a meeting, but Naruto and your brother decided to meet up here." An annoyed sigh escaped his lips. "It's not like I had a choice."

_Or you were just too lazy to argue._

She's fully aware that Shikamaru is the Hokage's advisor, just as she was. And though it was extremely difficult to leave Gaara with their almost incompetent brother, they all decided it was best she went to live with her fiancé since she was already pregnant with their first child, Mayu. Alongside her husband, Temari has been aiding the idiot Kage for almost eight years now. She hadn't had a single vacation since the birth of her second child, Akihiko. Not to mention, her husband's an ANBU captain leader, so she would take his place whenever he went off for a mission. Recently, Naruto allowed her some time off, which she was spending in her home village away from work and responsibilities. And that has just been taken away!

However, Shikamaru made a valid point, but that doesn't explain the four children looking up at her with curiously eyes. Two were sleeping and the other two were already playing in Gaara's house.

"I'm assuming you're Ayumi's obasan, right?" Temari eyed the twelve year old Uchiha carrying a toddle with a nasty stare. He annoyed her for some reason. "I'm Hajime. This," the child tilted his head to the toddler, "is my brother, Toshiro. That's my sister, Hitomi." A girl that looked to be around Akihiko's age waved shyly at her. "And my twin brothers, Kiyoshi and Ken." He used his free hand to point over his shoulders where she could see the two brats arguing. "We're Uchiha."

Not that she doubted it.

The oldest looked more like his mother; he had her soft eyes, and cute, button nose. He even had the rounded shaped of face that most Hyuuga posses. He had his father's hair color, messier hair with bangs hanging over his eyes. The two Uchiha had the same dark, calculating eyes.

The girl looked more like her father. Bitomi?...Whatever—had Hinata's large eyes and hair color, but that was as far as the resemblance goes, excluding her right eye that held the byakugan. Already, Temari could tell that the girl was nothing like either parent; she was shy, but that was probably because she wasn't familiar with the older woman. The little girl then smiled widely at her, admiration shining in her weird eyes.

The twin brats are what made her eyebrows twitch. They look like their father; they had his sharp, but elegant, features, except they had their mother's large eyes as well as her plump lips. They had Sasuke's hair color and that same s_tupid, stupid, _hairstyle.

That wasn't what bothered her.

One of them—she couldn't tell which one—was yelling about how cool the mansion was. He was practically destroying her eardrums; she was amazed that the sleeping children didn't wake. The other one was constantly scowling at his brother. He told him to shut up, and when the animated five-year old didn't, the moody one tackled him to the ground.

They began fighting.

Hands on her hips, Temari scowled at Shikamaru. "I blame you."

Despite fearing for his life at the moment, the lazy Nara smirked. "Hai, Hai, troublesome woman."

**...**

No matter how long Temari has been dealing with Uchiha Sasuke's and Hinata's case with Naruto and Shikamaru, she has never met his kids. So it was a surprise watching the cold hearted, psychopathic killer play with his now awake two-year old son. The warmth radiating off his dark eyes surprised her to no end. Lifting the child in the air, Sasuke even _smiled _when his son giggled and placed his two small hands on his cheeks. Temari was almost positive the Uchiha hadn't noticed how…_fatherly _he looked.

She felt as if she was in an alternate universe.

"Sorry we're late," Naruto glanced at Temari while holding back the twins from attacking each other. "Gaara said a storm was coming, so I asked Shikamaru to take the kids before it came."

The Hokage cursed when the older twin—Kiyoshi?—pulled down on his red coat, making him fall to the ground and at the mercy of the two annoying brats.

"Um," Temari's green eyes landed on Hinata. Straightening an invisible wrinkle on her lavender kimono, Hinata leaned a bit closer to her husband. "I would h-have gone too, but we all needed the byakugan to see through the storm."

"Great, that doesn't explain the kids running around my brother's house."

At this, Naruto chuckled nervously. He placed his hand on the kids' foreheads, holding them back once again. "You see, we _were _going to leave the kids with Sakura; I wouldn't want to disturb you on your break, dattebayo…but…"

"_But_?"

Naruto scratched his cheek, but immediately placed it back on the younger twin's, Ken she's assuming, head when he began attacking his loud brother. "Akihiko and Mayu wanted to see you," Temari felt her face softening up. She ran a hand through her daughter's brown hair. "Ayumi didn't want to stay without Gaara, and Sasuke," the blonde scowled at the man, but it was left ignored, "didn't want to leave his _annoying _children," the Hokage pointedly glared at the struggling twins, "in Konoha, 'ttebayo!"

"And why not?" Temari question the Uchiha, who was still playing with his son.

Hinata tried to speak up, but Sasuke interrupted her. "I don't trust Konoha whatsoever." Uchiha stopped lifting the kid to turn his once warm eyes at her. "You should know that by now." She did know that, but that didn't mean he had to be so damn…" Your idiot brother will help you take of him, since he's on medical leave." He mention before turning his attention back to the squealing toddler.

Temari blinked. "Kankuro?" She turned her question gaze to her husband sitting next to her. He nodded. The female Nara sighed. "Well, he's not going to take this well."

Not that anybody cared; he just wasn't a good babysitter.

"I would have asked you to come as one of my advisors, but Naruto informed me of your leave," Gaara added.

His foamy eyes searched around the room until they landed on Ayumi. His form visibly relaxed against the wall he was leaning on once he knew she was safe.

Temari's eyebrows furrowed. "But then who will go with you? Every Kage has to have at least one escort."

"Ah," every adult eye turned to the man reading in the corner at the back of the room, well every adult besides Naruto and Sasuke, "that's when I step in." Kakashi shut his book and placed it back into his back pocket. "According to the alliance, if one leader has a shortage of men, then said leader can get permission from another Kage to have some of his or her men for a certain task and/or a certain amount of time." The porn reader raised a finger, and his eye closed into a smile. "Kazekage-sama asked Hokage-sama for me as an advisor for this purpose."

Temari opened her mouth to say something, but Shikamaru beat her to the punch, "What the hell is this meeting even about? No one bothered to tell me anything."

He directed the question to the struggling Naruto, but Sasuke answered instead.

"It's about my kids."

Temari frowned, confusion marred onto her beautiful face. Deep green eyes trailed on every Uchiha. Hajime was reading _and _having a conversation with Ayumi on the staircase. Hitomi was sitting next her father, taking a nap. Toshiro was jumping on Sasuke's lap, completely ignoring the dark scowl etched on his face. Ken and Kiyoshi were trying to pull at each other's throats and dragging the stressed Uzumaki with them.

These children all seem pretty damn content to her; what the hell does Uchiha Sasuke have to complain about?"

"Explain."

The Uchiha sighed. Clearly, he frustrated that he'd have tell the whole purpose of the meeting. Sometimes she wonders if he's some kind of second generation Hatake Kakashi.

Sasuke gently handed his youngest child to Hinata, and then whispered something in his daughter's ear. She nodded, and then lay on the couch, resting her head on his lap.

Sasuke leaned back onto his seat. "Hinata and I are prisoners."

Temari nodded. "You just have it worse."

"Right," the Uchiha muttered darkly. "Konoha's council, _not the Kages_, gave us partial citizen's ship if we do whatever the hell they wanted, but I'm permanently stuck in that village."

It was true. Tsunade, with the help of the Uzumaki clan's sealing scrolls, created a seal that could paralyze Uchiha with a single hand sign. It can be deactivated by anybody who knew the hand sign to activate it, but it can also be reactivated at any time and place, whether the creator or user was there near the holder or not. Tsunade-sama made a couple of tweaks with it; if Sasuke ever dared to leave the village without permission, then not only will the seal activate, but it is also capable of blinding him. The first time is only for a warning and it lasts for a month, the second time he would be permanently blinded.

Tsunade only told the Hokage and the other few trusted council members, since there are some people that would take advantage of that power if they ever found out the secret to activating the seal. Temari didn't know a lot about it either; apparently the seal does a lot more than that and can have the option of choosing of just paralyzing or blinding or both. Naruto and Tsunade are the only ones who are able to activate the seal so far. So yeah, Sasuke was…stuck in Konoha. He has never been stupid enough to test the complicated seal, but he wasn't happy about it either.

He knew people feared him and that was enough.

But what the hell does this have to do with his kids?

"The council, as well as the feudal lord, agreed to seal my kids," Sasuke said through clenched teeth "They don't want to risk another _Uchiha failure_."

Temari began to understand. This meeting was to ensure their freedom, but shouldn't that be done in Konoha? It was Konoha matters anyway, unless the Hokage absolutely refused, and knowing Naruto, he sure as hell wouldn't agree to this.

"Ah, I should have known." Shikamaru glanced at his wife. "This argument started three weeks ago, a day after your break began. The elders suggested the idea and most of the council agreed, except for Naruto, my father and Tsunade-sama, as well as the Uchiha and Hinata. Sasuke just about killed them all right then and there. The elders didn't budge, so they contacted the Kages. Naruto agreed to the meeting."

Closing his eyes, Gaara sighed. "I'm almost positive the Mizukage is on our side, but even she has stated that her maternal instincts are to blame for her opinion. I'm not sure what the Raikage or Tsuchikage think of this."

Gaara frowned when he heard Naruto curse loudly at the twins, who are right next to him. Annoyance dominating his usually stoic face, Gaara's gourd opened. His sand swirled around the two boys until it grabbed onto them by the waists. He held them high in the air.

"I'm gonna kill you Kiyoshi!" Ken yelled, still struggling in the air.

Kiyoshi smirked. "Ha, as if! I can knock you out with a flick of my finger!"

"I would love to see you try!"

"Kazekage-sama, put me down so I can beat up my little brother!"

"By _six _minutes!"

"I'm st—"

Gaara proceeded to shut their mouths with his sand.

Huffing—sweating profusely as well—Naruto grinned at the red-head. "I owe you one, Gaara!"

Gaara turned to Sasuke. "Control your children."

The Uchiha looked over his shoulder and smirked. "I call it revenge, Gaara. Next time, let Naruto deal with them; it'll teach him not to let them do whatever they want."

"I do not!"

Acting as if the whole ideal didn't happen, Temari spoke before Sasuke could retort. "Then why aren't you taking your children with you," she suggested. "What better way to validate their future than allowing the Kages to see for themselves that they are no danger?"

Kakashi snorted. "If you haven't noticed by now, Temari-san, Sasuke is extremely protective of his children—"

"Am not."

"—there's no way he'll let his kids around some of the most powerful ninjas in the world, all of who had tried to kill him at some point."

Damn, he had a valid point; she was amazed that Sasuke even trusted _her family _to take care of his kids. They had tried to kill him as well, but maybe his overbearing hatred for Konoha clouded his judgment, or maybe he really did trust them…Temari will go with the former; it made more sense.

"It's actually not a bad idea, Uchiha." Shikamaru yawned after imputing his opinion. "They all more than likely don't have a grudge against you anymore. The Raikage only wanted you dead because he thought you killed Bee-sama. Mizukage knew you were a danger to not only her village, but the world. The Tsuchikage just really didn't give a damn."

"That doesn't change the fact that they _all _tried to _kill _me."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "They might hate you, hell a lot of people hate you, me included, but I would never do anything to your brats." He scoffed and leaned back against the couch. "Look, the point is that if your spawns testify, or even talk about their life and goals, it can get them off the hook. A lot of people want you all dead, but doing this_ will _grant them their freedom and a better shot in life."

While Sasuke mulled over the genius' tiny speech, Hinata frowned. The doubt and worry on her face was clear as day. "H-How do you know this will w-work, Nara-san?" She bit her lip after the question.

Shikamaru sighed. "Look at it this way; the only way one can prove their innocence is through proof." He grunted, frustrated at Sasuke's stubborn gaze. "Sasuke, trust me on this. Once the Kages know how harmless they are, which they will have to testify for this to work, then their future is set."

Temari scowled darkly at the fallen avenger. "And that means fewer kids to take care of."

**...**

Ayumi narrowed her large brown eyes at the adults whispering to each other across the room. "What are they talking about?"

She directed her gaze back on Hajime when she saw him shrug. "I don't know the details, but I know it involves my tousan."

"Hm, your tousan?"

Hajime closed the book he was reading and placed it on his lap. "In case you haven't figured it out, my family is hated in the Konoha."

Ayumi hated how bitter he sounded; Haji was always teasing her and smiling whenever she has to visit that village. They played together and had fun, so seeing him so…livid was so alien to her. She didn't like it.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Tucking a wavy red hair behind her ear, the eleven year old scooted closer to her moody friend. "What did your okaasan and otousan do? They're so nice."

Even though Sasuke looks scary, and acted even worse, he's really nice to her; he doesn't smile or laugh, but he allowed her to hang out with Hajime without complaint and that was enough for her. Now that she thought about it; touchan and Uchiha-san didn't seem to like each other. It was subtle, but she could always tell the air between them bordered on the lines of mistrust. Touchan always tried to keep things from her, but he seems to forget just how smart she is.

"Tousan never told me what they did," Hajime responded to her earlier question. "I know he'll tell me when I'm older, but it's not fair that they hide things that affect me and my siblings so damn much!" Glaring at the bottom stair, he scowled. "The council even had a trail on whether or not I should have been promoted to genin when it was their fucking idea that I should start being a shinobi in the first place."

"Haji—"

"_No_, Ayumi," the Uchiha directed his glare at her. "You don't understand. The only thing those old bastards want is to control my family; they're controlling both my parents and have my own father at their mercy. I can't go out of the village without being interrogated, even for a damn mission, and my sister has been mentally abused by the Hyuuga and the council for having both doujutsus." His gaze softened at Ayumi's worried frown. "My brothers…fuck, some guy tried to kill them a few years ago, and it's only a matter of time before Toshiro is targeted."

The Kazekage's daughter grabbed his hand, but she knew her watery eyes weren't encouraging him at all, but still, she tried. "Hajime, what about the other council members? Tsunade-sama, Ojii-san's dad, and Hokage-sama? They all want to protect you guys, right?"

Nodding, Hajime sighed. "It's against the law to harm us and doing so will be punished by imprisonment, but…" Hajime grunted. "It doesn't matter; people will still try to kill us."

The boy forced his frown to turn into a smirk once he noticed how close to tears Ayumi was. He could care less whenever a girl cried; after all, he has made plenty of girls shed tears because of his vulgar denials and acts of hatred. It didn't matter to him, but if that girl were his mother, Hitomi, or Ayumi then the line has been crossed. He'd do anything not to make them sad.

"Don't worry, alright Yumi?" He smiled honestly when he flicked her nose and made her frown. "I'm strong, and it's not exactly news over there. Plus, my dad is super protective of us and my mom…" he shuddered. "Don't get me started on her. No one is stupid enough to mess with them."

This did not seem to cheer up the red-head; actually she seemed more fragile than before. Weird. Ayumi hates crying in front of people, especially around him, because she said it made her feel weak and icky and—le gasp—_girly_. No, the small, cute, red-headed girl looking _girly_? How damn surprising. Honestly, the girl was just too damn weird sometimes. But, she was different. She had a sense of humor and didn't shudder at the thought of her hair or clothes getting dirty. She wasn't strong, but whenever they sparred she seemed proud of her bruises despite him holding back.

She wanted to become like her dad; proud, strong, efficient and resilient. Hajime admired her for that, but even though she wasn't a good leader at all, she wanted to improve to protect her loved ones.

She was weird, and he liked it.

Not that he'd ever tell her that.

No…

…May—No! It was too embarrassing!

"Hajime!" Said boy jumped slightly at her sudden voice, but was thankful for the distraction. He felt his face warming up and he _did not _want to explain to his best friend exactly why he was red in the first place. He might be dry, and lied a lot, but she always seemed to know when he was being false.

"Hn?"

Her small, pink lips widened into a large smile. It looked like her dad had given her the world. "How about you and your family live here in Suna with me and my touchan?" Hajime's blank look caused her grin to shrink. "It can happen, right?"

He shook his head. "I want to leave and live here, you don't know how much I want that, but I can't do anything. My family is…trapped in Konoha." Hajime shook his head. "There's no way."

There was a tense silence between the two friends. Ayumi kept her bright brown eyes on her lap, hiding her face. She was crying, he knew, and she was trying to keep it from him. Hajime knew his best friend's life goal was to be together forever; they had made that promise when they were younger, but unlike Yumi, Hajime is a genius. He knew such things only existed in those fairytales he used to read to his sister, but seeing her hopeful eyes made the boy swallow all pride and gave his pinky to hers. It's not that he didn't want to be here with her in her village—_Gods did he want to_!—but he won't delude himself.

His family was Konoha's bitches.

Hearing Ayumi sniff caused the twelve year old to bite the inside of his cheek. He _fucking _hated it when she cried. The only other time he saw those damn waterworks was when he was seven and she was six; they were playing in his backyard, with Hinata looking after them, and he did a _katon _to show off how awesome he was. He didn't realize that Ayumi was too close to him and before he could stop, the fire blew out of his mouth. Lucky, Hinata saved her from becoming fried, but her hand had been slightly burned. It hurt her. A lot.

She cried for hours on end, and seeing her like that caused his heart to pound uncontrollably—almost painfully—to the point that he couldn't stand it. He cried with her. He tried avoiding her for the rest of her stay in Konoha, but she wouldn't have it. She punched him, and told him he was a big baby.

Hajime's lips twitched at the fond memory. That was day he realized just how cool she was.

So seeing her so…he really couldn't stand it.

Swallowing the large lump in his throat, Hajime wrapped his arm around Ayumi's shoulder and pulled her towards him. "Stop crying, you big baby."

She punched his chest half-heartily. "You're the baby." He could detect the smile in her voice, so he knew she wasn't offended.

Ayumi sighed and rested her head on the crook of his neck. Fuck. Tensing, Hajime willed his heart to stop beating _so fucking loud_. She could literally feel his heart beat by the way the shit kept pounding against his chest.

"Haji."

"Hn?" The young jounin forced him to relax and rested his cheek ontop her head.

"You know I love you right?"

_Why does she have to throw that word around like that?! _He was internally panicking right now. Haji was fully aware Yumi didn't mean love in…_that way_, but it didn't change the fact that it made him highly uncomfortable. His feelings right now confuse the hell out of him, so hearing things like that just made it ten times worse.

Forcing the oncoming blush down, Hajime swallowed audibly. "Yeah, I do too." Damn, way to go! That didn't sound fucking cheesy at all!

Little did he know, Ayumi was just as red as him.

**...**

"If it bothers you that much, why don't you just kill him right then and there."

Gaara frown, but kept his foamy eyes on his daughter and that…boy.

"It would give you an excuse to kill me." Gaara mumbled to the dry Uchiha beside him.

"Damn, there goes that idea."

"I don't care much for your tone."

"And I don't appreciate the look you're giving Hajime." Gaara looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes and saw said man staring daggers at him. He returned his gaze back to his daughter.

"Get your son away from her."

Sasuke scoffed. "Get your daughter away from my son and we wouldn't have this problem."

The red-head mentally sighed. He could admit that both he and Uchiha were irrational parents. He blamed their childhood. They both had to experience things that no child should and therefore it affected how much they wanted to protect their kids from the sharp edges of life. Ayumi was his world; there wasn't any other person he cared for as much as her. His siblings and niece and nephew came close second, but after the loss of Emiri, his dead wife, he really couldn't but think "what if". What if this was Ayumi's last day? What if this was the last he saw her sweet smile or her familiar, innocent brown eyes?

The thought pained him so much.

Any harm against her forced his hand into action; this included emotionally. Uchiha Hajime was the epitome of heartbreak. The two have been friends ever since they meant during his meeting in Konoha seven years ago. Whatever happened between them caused a bond to form that Gaara, Hinata and Sasuke all saw.

No one tried to separate them, because they depended on each other. But now…with the possibility of the Uchihas never leaving Konoha, or imprisoned should the majority of the Kages wished, they would see each other less and less…not at all actually. Gaara did not want his daughter to suffer through such an ordeal. He was aware that his daughter did not have many friends, and have been picked on by most girls for being "weird". Uchiha Hajime was her only true friend, and that is something worth treasuring.

Uchiha Sasuke knew this all as well, which is the reason why he was acting so sardonic towards the Kazekage. It was understandable, but frustrating all the same.

"This might be the last time they see each other," Sasuke mumbled darkly to no one in particular.

"It seems you're exaggerating, Uchiha." They would see each other less, true, but Gaara would still have meetings to attend to in Konoha, and he would never forget to bring Ayumi.

The former avenger gave him a look that bordered on the lines of incompetent. "Don't be daft, Gaara. The council wants to control my family. Should the Kages agree to seal my whole family, then they agree giving the power to learn the seal Tsunade made. And knowing those greedy bastards, they wouldn't hesitate to put us in place." Gaara didn't say anything, since he was fully aware of that. "They want my kids to be the perfect weapons, and should they disobey then a hand sign will show them who's makes the orders.."

"That won't happen."

This time, Sasuke didn't bother to hide his condescending glare. "I'm mentally unstable; that's their argument and the Kages will only have to look back during that summit and there you have it. A family fully of Konoha's dogs."

Sometimes Uchiha Sasuke could be just as daft.

"That will only happen if you don't allow your children to testify." Gaara ignored Sasuke's less than appropriate word directed at him. "Nara is right. They all have their malice directed towards you, not at them. I do not dislike your children, I'm quite fond of them, so I'm positive the rest of the Kages will agree." The Kazekage closed his eyes at a sudden thought. "The Raikage might be the more difficult one to deal with."

"How so?"

"Mizukage loves children, and the Tsuchikage not only has a son, but a granddaughter as well. The Raikage has no children whatsoever, only a brother." He shook his head. "He couldn't possibly relate to any us."

But still. It was worth a shot.

Later that day, after the storm subsided, the whole Uchiha family and the rest involved in the meeting set out towards their destination. Sasuke, though reluctant, agreed that this might be the best way to keep his kids safe. He prayed to a god he didn't even believe that the Nara and Gaara were right, or he'll burn them both with his Amaterasu _and_ with a grin on his face.

Hell hath no greater fury than that of an angered, psychopathic father.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Super busy with school, and final exams are coming up. So sorry for the long wait. But, the break is coming up, so I'll have free time to edit and finish some chapters. Btw, this chapter...I'm not happy with. I'm not really good with romantic feels, so it might be a bit awkward, but I still hope you guys enjoy. And holy crap, I got lots of new followers and favorites, which I love.

I would love to thank _Saki-Hime, rao hyuga 18, Guest, maxridelover, , SasuHina Lover, _and _IWuvAnime_. I really appreciate the reviews! They make me happy. Oh, I'll post the second part to "The Meeting" after the next one coming up. It's going to be pretty long, I think.

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, and I'm not getting paid to do this. One day though...one day.**

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Ken's Story: He's Such a Player

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The Uchiha twins were well known for their contradicting personalities and constant quarrels. Their father, Uchiha Sasuke, always puts them into place, but once the man was out of ear shot, they would start arguing again. It was annoying to say the least.

The older twin, Uchiha Kiyoshi, had the personality that would make the most arrogant person sweat in exasperation. Basically, his ego was much bigger than the Hokage's, and that was saying something. He was also as loud, if not louder, than Naruto; which brought on constant headaches to the otherwise quiet Uchiha household. He had intelligence and power and didn't mind to show how gifted he was. He is extremely impulsive, so most of the time he relied on his strength rather than his smarts. He wasn't an idiot, but he acted like one.

The younger twin—by _six _minutes, he constantly complains—Uchiha Ken was his opposite. His personality was almost identical to that of Sasuke. He was quiet, moody, constantly sulking, and extremely hateful. He hated anything that was loud or annoying and thought everybody who didn't meet his expectations were idiots. Unlike Kiyoshi, Ken was extremely condescending. Ken put people down instead of encouraging them. He has no sense of humor, from what people know, and when he does try to be funny, it was always at the expense of others.

Even their skills were different.

Despite having the same sensei, Uzumaki Sakura, Kiyoshi took on his teacher's brute strength and medic skills. Ken inherited his father's chidori and mastered kenjutsu. The latter incorporated his hand-to-hand combat and his fire and lightning elements with his swordsmen skills. He was merciless, and terrifyingly elegant. Kiyoshi rarely uses his elements, fire and earth, but relied mostly on his super strength. He rarely fights, for he is a pacifist.

But if they had anything in common was that they were both hotheads, as well as competitive. Kiyoshi knew for a fact that his little brother's pride would be extremely wounded if he were to ever lose to him, so whatever the challenge; the brothers will fight to prove who's best.

However, no other challenge was harder for Ken than none other than Yamanaka Naomi, oldest and only child of Ino and Sai. Kiyoshi was fully aware that his brother had a huge crush on the quiet girl, but he was too shy and nervous around her, so being the awesome aniki that he was, Yoshi finally gave up trying to win the girls' heart and gave Ken a little push. He didn't even like her in that way.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" The older twin leaned against a tree from outside the Yamanaka's flower shop where Naomi worked. "I feel like a stalker just watching her from out this window."

"Shit, can you say that a bit louder? I don't think anybody heard you."

Smirking, Kyoshi tried to heed his brother's dry remark. He opened his mouth, but a pale hand slapped over his lips.

"I was being sarcastic, idiot."

Yoshi slapped the hand away. "I was fully aware of that, sadist."

Huffing, Ken rolled his eyes. He pushed his brother and leaned against the thick tree with him. His dark eyes zeroed in on Naomi again. Even he could admit that this was a bit creepy, but how else would he be able to get near her.

She was beautiful, the fifteen year old thought. With hair dark as night, and two beautiful pale blue eyes, Naomi had an appearance of a gentle dark angel. She was small compared to him and her heart-shaped face added to her innocent demeanor. She has small, pink lips; when lifted into that shy smile of hers, Ken could feel his heart skip a beat or two. Her hair is long and silky, which was always held up into a messy bun. Some stubborn strands of hair were free from the bun and framed her face. He had an urge to take those pins off and run his hand through her hair.

What made Ken constantly pleased and annoyed at the same time was her body; she was well developed, even at the age of fifteen. The girl had a nice pair of…shit these thoughts just passed the creepy level. But honestly, Ken didn't like her just because of her looks, but because of her personality.

Naomi was quiet and shy. She never fawned over him or Kiyoshi like those annoying fangirls. She was sweet and never judged anybody on sight. She was passive and let many people step on her, but when she was angry she had a silent, stubborn attitude that only turned Ken on. In his eyes, she was perfect, though she was far from it.

Ken snapped out of his thoughts when he felt his brother nudging him. "Go tell her how you feel."

The younger twin glared at his brother as if he was daft. "She hates me."

"What, is it my fault?" Kyoshi eyed his brother warily. Concerning this girl, all bets were off.

"Hn."

It was really wasn't his fault, but Ken needed someone to blame besides himself, and Kyoshi was the closest person. When Naomi and Ken first met a year ago, he insulted her because he thought she was just another annoying fangirl by the way she blushed at the sight of him and Kiyoshi.

_"Daughter of lead interrogator, Yamanaka Ino, and elite shinobi, Sai, yet you have no ninja skills whatsoever. How pathetic,"_ he said to her without mercy. It almost made her cry and it left him satisfied.

He later realized that Naomi had a crush on Kiyoshi _only_. Not wanting to be undone, Ken tried to steal her heart away from Yoshi, but it only left him with confusing and warm feelings.

"Maybe you should apologize." Ken almost punched his brother for saying something so preposterous, but he frantically cringed away from Ken and waved his hands in front of his face. "H-Hey, Ken, m-maybe she'll forgive you, hn?"

Ken stopped in his tracks. He looked back at the widow and noticed Naomi looking their way. Blushing profusely, the younger twin bit the inside of his cheek in order to calm his fast paced heart.

"Damn, you're so _red_."

"_Shut_. _Up_."

Kyoshi ignored his brother's deadly scowl and pushed him towards the direction of the shop's entrance. "First step into winning a girl's heart is to swallow your pride, otouto. Now _go_."

Ken listened to his brother only because the idiot wasn't a total idiot when it came to girls. He's had two girlfriends and lost his virginity during a mission, as well as fucking another girl in _their room_…the bastard. He's a whore, but he's sensitive and can understand how a girl feels. So…Ken will listen to him. If it didn't work then Kiyoshi had a beating coming to him.

But damn it! His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest by the way it pounded. As he opened the door to the shop he felt his face getting hotter and hotter and…

"Welcome to—"

Ken almost ran out of the store at Naomi's reaction. She doesn't look too pleased to see him.

Waving hesitantly, Ken smiled awkwardly at her. "H-Hi." He physically winced at the sound of his voice cracking. He cringed even more seeing the frown on Naomi's small lips. "I just…"

"How can I help you, Uchiha-san?"

"Um…" he looked at everything besides her; gods know that he couldn't faint in front of her—he'd rather _die_. "I came to tell you something."

"Oh."

Silence.

Finally making eye contact with the girl in front of him, Ken gulped. He…he _really _wasn't one for these sorts of things. The only other person he apologized to was his mother for breaking a valuable gift, but that was only because his father glared at him to death till he swallowed his pride and said those _dreaded words_, "I'm sorry." Adding to the fact that he's so damn shy around this girl and a disaster is just waiting to happen.

No…no, he _can't do this._

But then he Ken remembered the way her blue eyes watered up that day he insulted her, and/or emotionally ripped her apart, because she's so damn insecure. Naomi hated herself. Every time he has tried to talk to her, or when someone else tries to speak with her, she always has her eyes directed at the ground. It was as if she thought she was useless. So…saying that shit to her about a year ago, must have really hit below the belt, and he had only made it worse.

He's such a dick.

Gulping once again, Ken took a deep breath and quickly said, "I'm sorry."

Naomi blinked…and blinked again. Her wide eyes turned to the cash register on the counter, and she began touching it to distract herself. The Yamanaka cleared her throat and said, "F-For what?"

Ken scratched his nose. He was fidgeting, but it distracted him, which was good…still; this feeling in the pit of his stomach, it felt so weird. "For what I said to you, that day I mean." He scratched his nose again when he noticed her eyebrows furrow.

Ken saw Naomi's cheeks redden. "Um…th-that was a long time ago," she began playing with her bangs, "but…it's okay."

The young Uchiha did a mental victory roar! Silently thanking his brother, Ken strode towards the girl until the only thing separating them was the counter. He didn't realize he was smiling until he felt his face began hurting. But he really couldn't control it…she…she _forgave him_. That means he can finally talk with her without her constantly running away from him, or glaring at him, or having her dad look at him with those creepy dead eyes of his. Ken can finally get to know her better instead of constantly stalking her like some creep!

Usually, he would stray from all female's path, since they're all so damn stupid and horny, but Naomi was different. She has been the only that he actually tolerated and wanted her around, even his teammate, Seiko, whom he loves as another sister, got on his nerve at times. Naomi made him feel all warm and weird, but that was okay because Hajime said those were good things. He said that he still feels the same way about Ayumi and they're about to get married.

So, it means some good things will come out of this, right?

Ken never thought he'd live the day to see that a girl could make him _this _happy. His family and killing were the only other two that could give him such euphoria and adrenaline rushes.

She _has _to feel the same way.

"So…" Ken, scratching his nose, leaned a bit over the counter. He didn't notice the nervous stare coming out of Naomi's eyes. "Does this mean we're…friends?"

Naomi backed away a bit, but nodded either way. "Sure, let's start fresh?"

What Ken did next will not only put him in danger, but was something that he will never regret…e_ver_.

The Uchiha boy grabbed hold of Naomi's wrist and gently pulled her towards him. The black haired girl's eyes widen, but Ken ignored that, because she felt the same way, right? Before he got the answer to his question, Ken held onto the back of her neck and pulled her down to his lips.

It was just a soft peck—chaste and short, but sweet and addicting all the same. He blushed, though, because he had no idea what he was doing; this was, after all, his first kiss, and probably was Naomi's too since she was frozen in place. And despite blushing to the point of no return, Ken was sure Naomi was twice as red because she felt so damn warm! Stopping the kiss, Ken stepped away from his girl. He noticed her surprised face and softly smirked. She looked so _cute_.

"I-I know that wasn't," Ken hesitated for a bit, "a fresh start, but…I hope that tells you how I feel." Scratching his nose, Ken shyly looked towards the window next to him. "I hope you feel the same, but even if you don't, I won't apologize for what I just did." He cleared his throat. "That was my first kiss too, you know."

From his peripheral vision, Ken noticed how Naomi was still in shock and hadn't moved at all. She was just staring at him, mouth slightly opened and completely red. A bit of pride swelled in him that he was able to this girl feel that way.

"I'll leave now," he said as he turned his back on her. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" No answer, but he took the silence as a yes.

Coming out of the shop with the biggest smirk of his life, Ken patted Kiyoshi's shoulder as he walked past by him; he ignored his brother's questioning and proudly stated, "Let's go home."

...

Later that night, Uchiha Sasuke opened his door when he heard hard knocking.

He sent a scowl at the man standing before him.

"What do you want, Sai?"

Said man sent Sasuke the fakest smile the Uchiha has ever seen on the ANBU…which was saying something. "I came to castrate, and then murder your son, Uchiha Ken. And I would appreciate it if you weren't in the way," he added.

There was a few beats of silence.

Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "What the hell did he do this time?"

...

No, Sasuke did not allow Sai to murder his son, but Ken got an earful by both his parents for taking advantage of a girl like Naomi. A girl that had no such strength like a shinobi, nor was she one that could probably take care of herself against him or anyone else like him. He didn't tell them that he would never do anything to harm her. Not that he was listening, because well…kept thinking back on that moment.

Ken regretted nothing.

Little did anybody know, and despite ratting out the younger Uchiha twin to her dangerous and protective father, Naomi couldn't help the large, warm pleasure radiating throughout her.

Both Ken and Naomi smiled throughout the night.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: This story is now rated M. I had SO MUCH trouble deciding whether or not to post this. For one, it's fucking LONG, it will have three parts. Second reason is because this story hits home for me. I don't want to seem like I have a mary-sue, since in a way, the female character officially introduced here went through something I did as well. BUT, I didn't have ANY other chapters that go in depth with both Ken and Kiyoshi's. That last chapter...it was bad. I really didn't do the brothers justice, but the problem is that the other stories I have written for them are all pretty dark and explicit. The same goes for Hitomi.

Just me know if you want me to continue please. I am extremely hesitant with this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: No...I don't own Naruto, but if I did Hinata would be holding Sasuke's hand and Sakura would be fucking kissing Naruto. BLAH!

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Kiyoshi's Story: The Pacifist Part I

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_In the world of a shinobi, there was no tolerance for weakness. It's either kill or be killed, and if one were the former, than survival was a sure thing. No one ever said Uchiha Kiyoshi was an orthodox ninja, though. In fact, he was gentler than his own mother…besides his temper, actually. Just get rid of his short temper and he would be the most gentle shinobi who had ever walked the land. It's not a fact he's proud of, however._

_His tiny clan was filled with skilled ninjas, probably some of the strongest in Konoha. His older brother, Hajime, had to be the strongest out of all them, stronger than their own father. He was a prodigy among prodigies and a natural born leader. His older sister, Hitomi, was considerably weaker than Haji, but skilled enough to be on par with jonin level shinobis. Not only that, but she had been personally trained by the Hokage himself; he was the only one that could help her with her chakra control, so she had inherited his kage bunshin skill from him. Her sensei was none other than Rock Lee, a master Taijutsu user, and a perfect match for someone as handicapped with chakra as she was._

_Because of her two sensei's, Hitomi was able to flourish._

_Kiyoshi's younger twin brother, Uchiha Ken, was considered to be a genius. The silent twin was exceptional with kenjutsu, having easily mastered the art with the help of their father and older brother, as well as being highly skilled with ninjutsu. Being a lightning element, Ken mastered chidori and had learned several ways on which to use it with little chakra to spare. Not only that but he was level-headed, and fast._

_There were many who would rather not face Ken in battle._

_Then there was the youngest Uchiha of all, Toshiro._

_At the age twelve Shiro's power and skill could be compared to that of Hajime when he was that age; in fact the eldest sibling had stated that Shiro will no doubt be superior to him in just a few years. He was the only one in the sibling bunch that held the byakugan…Hitomi didn't count, since she couldn't activate either doujutsus. The little runt already mastered the gentle fist and was even stronger than their mother, and was on par with Neji-ojiisan. He had exceptional chakra control, and was an extremely great strategist, which only improved once he was teamed with Shikamaru-san. His little brother's intelligence was so great, that he was even recommended by the Hokage to be promoted to ANBU, but Shiro never was. (Kiyoshi wondered if Hokage-sama's cuts and burns had something to do with tousan. Ever since he made that little suggestion, Naruto couldn't look into tousan's eyes for weeks). The only problem Toshiro had was his poor leadership skills and that the fact that he's so damn shy._

_While Kiyoshi preferred not to harm, Shiro couldn't even look at someone straight in the eye without turning red._

_But, he was incredibly strong, that much was obvious._

_And while he was also considered a genius, Kiyoshi lacked what his siblings didn't; fearlessness. They were all brave. He was a pussy._

_There were no doubts on that simple fact._

_Kiyoshi couldn't kill anyone; just the thought of driving a kunai into someone's hand made him pale. Violence, blood, fights…he couldn't handle any of it. Sure, he fought with his brother a lot, but they were play fights, and all in good competition, but they were never being serious. When it comes down to it, Kiyoshi knew he would rather let someone beat the hell out of him before settling a single finger on them._

_He did, after all, have super strength._

_He didn't know what drove him to become a fighter in the first place—no, that was a lie._

_That day a while back, at the park. Seeing his brother's life being squeezed out of him was what made Yoshi think that, yes, he needed to protect his family. He needed to become like tousan so that he wouldn't have to rely on him anymore. Yoshi wanted his family to depend on him as well! He'd rather die than let anything harm them._

_However, that was before Sakura-sensei had taught him how to perfectly mold his chakra for his benefit. He had never fought—actually fought—someone before. There were spars and training, but that's about it. He really had no idea just how _fucked up_ and pathetic he was._

_During Sakura's first team genin mission, a couple of missing-nin took them by surprise. He was the only one those two weren't flanking, so he tried get one of them from behind._

_Kiyoshi had raised his gloved fist, ready to use his chakra filled hand to damage the man's brain, but…he froze. _

_He stopped breathing, actually._

_Yoshi didn't remember much after his initial shock, but the bloody images he had seen as a child flash throughout his thoughts, and causing those same wounds to a human being seemed so wrong to him—he couldn't harm those men, even if they were trying to kill his loved ones. And that made it all the worse._

_When he heard a blood curling screams, Kiyoshi forced himself to look up. _

_His very own brother had his sword through one of the man's rib area, twisting the blade. He didn't care that he was causing the man tremendous pain. Ken simply smirked and dug the weapon deeper. By now, Kiyoshi knew his brother more than likely tore the lungs apart. That man was drowning in his very own blood…no…he was dead already. He had stopped moving, but _Ken continued_!_

_Didn't he realize what the hell he was doing?!_

_There was so much _fucking blood_!_

_Seeing that missing-nin, limp, motionless, but colored with red made Kiyoshi's stomach turn. But he couldn't look away! He wanted to heal him—make his death see, less grotesque. What the hell!? Why did seeing so much blood affect him? Ken kept _twisting_, and _twisting_, and _tearing_, and _smiling_!_

_The older twin eventually puked, and passed out._

_When he came to, Yoshi realized he was in the hospital. The first eyes he had seen were that of his worried father._

_He flinched away, and closed his eyes._

_He didn't feel like looking at him._

_The few next realizations processing in his mind made him all the more numb. Or angry. He didn't know._

_His brother was a sadist—mentally unstable and just all around bitter and angry._

_And he was a pathetic ninja who feared blood and death, something common in a shinobi's life._

_Go figure._

**0000**

The dark night was filled an icy bite that seemed to tear through the three shinobis as they made their way to former Akatsuki member's hideout just on the border on the Land of Snow. Despite how freezing it was at the moment, they could do nothing about it but bear through it all. This was an A-ranked mission; they couldn't afford to be held down.

The smallest of the three, a female, cursed under her breath as a small twig slapped across her numb cheeks. For some reason, that little scratch on her face hurt more than any other punch she had received in her life. Her grey eyes turned to her right, and then to her left to stare at her two partners. Who are both fire elements and therefore could easily warm up in this kind of situation. She cursed again, this time for being a wind instead of fire. She scowled, jealous of the Uchiha boys flanking on either side.

All three jumped down onto the snow filled ground as the hideout came into view. The girl gritted her teeth at the impact; she was wearing a standard issue chuuin sandals, the ice digging between her toes made her want to scream at the heavens for even agreeing to this sort of thing.

She didn't have to come, but her best friends were, so she wanted to be by their side.

Now she could honestly care less if they end up seriously injured.

She just wanted to go home!

"Will you be quiet, Seiko," Kiyoshi whispered under his breath. He looked at her over his shoulder, sending her a slight frown, before turning his dark eyes towards the cave not too far from them. "Do you want them to hear your whimpering?"

Said girl huffed, eyes narrowing into angry slits. "Easy for you to say, you little—"

"Enough," Ken lightly shoved her head as he walked past her to stand near his brother.

She opened her mouth to say something, or even punch both brothers, but she kept it in, knowing that any kind of small mistake could end up compromising the mission. So, she pouted, but silently leaned against the icy boulder with them.

Fukushima Seiko made sure her chakra was hidden just as well as the two Uchiha. She bit her blue, cold, lips at the thought of entering the unknown and _dark _cave. The sandy blonde knew the plan well enough, but she wasn't like these two. Despite Kiyoshi being a complete hot head, and Ken practically being unstable since that incident a month ago, they're both highly intelligent ninjas. Some of whom should never be trifled with. She had been scared of them at first, and was never two steps away from Sakura-sensei, but as she got to know them they changed her for the better.

But still…even if she did improve greatly since their genin days, Seiko knew there was no possible way for her to even think of accomplishing such a task without their help. She was skilled with genjutsu, but what the hell will that do if one of missing-nin could easily see through her rouse.

"You remember the plan, right?" Kiyoshi whispered.

It was strange seeing him so serious. He rarely was. But, when he needed to be, the guy could be such a great leader.

Seiko grunted in affirmation.

"Great. Remember Seiko, you place a genjutsu on their hideout, and make sure it's strong enough. We have to capture the leader for us to be finished. Ken, once she placed the genjutsu, you make sure it will last, then you _carefully _go inside and see where they're hiding. Don't kill unless absolutely need to. We just need the leader, got it?"

Ken snorted. "Don't patronize me, pacifist; I'm not stupid."

It happened so fast, Seiko didn't have time to blink.

One minute he was looking over the boulder, the next second, he was in his brother's face. Kiyoshi glared at Ken as if he were the enemy. The deep scowl on his lips was something Seiko had never seen on him. But then again, they were both acting strange lately. That didn't help the sudden dread swirling in her stomach as she stared up at two most important people in her life.

She raised a pale hand to rest on Yoshi's shoulder—to calm him down—but he slapped her hand away just as soon as she touched him. For some reason it made her eyes sting.

"I'm being _serious_, Ken," Kiyoshi whispered angrily. "The tables have been turned here; I have to watch _your back _because you're so goddamn unpredictable."

The harsh shove the younger twin gave to his brother did not deter Kiyoshi's anger. It only seemed to enhance it.

"You're fucked up. You've been _itching _to kill—I know you. Ken, don't do anything that would screw us over just for your sick needs. Got it?" When Ken didn't respond, Kiyoshi sucked the air between his teeth in agitation and punched the boulder behind his brother, making it slightly crumble in the process. "Do. You. Understand?"

What was going on with them?

There were a few beats of tense silence before Ken answered, "Yeah."

The muscles ticking in his jaw was sure sign of his repressed rage. Suddenly, Seiko didn't have such a good feeling about this whole thing. This had to be the first time the two weren't in perfect synch. They were the perfect duo! Anything thrown at them, they could handle with such ease that it just wasn't even funny.

Seeing them like this _terrified _her. Did she miss something? Was there more since that incident than she thought?

"Yoshi-kun," Seiko winced once his angry, red eyes were directed at her. That had to be the first time she seen him activate the sharingan. It was…very scary.

The older Uchiha's whole body softened at his friend's worried gaze. His bloody eyes went back to their usual obsidian color. Smirking slightly, Kiyoshi placed his gloved hand on Seiko's blonde head.

"It's okay; you don't need to worry yourself, alright?" The fifteen's year old grin widen further. It hurt. "We'll get out of this no problem. You just gotta listen and make sure this dickhead doesn't screw up."

Seiko hesitantly nodded, but she could detect the lie on his face. It made her want to cry.

Her lighter shade of grey eyes was on Ken's stony face. She was reluctant to speak to him when he was like that. If he was already unpredictable before that incident, how worse was he now? The last time she tried to approach him when he was like this she received a less than gentle shove. She had always been used to physical harm, but receiving those blows from the people she cared about was like a knife twisting her heart.

She was scared of the younger twin for awhile after that violent outburst.

What would happen now?

Seiko slowly reached out for his hand. She hesitated a bit before gently grabbing his hand. When he didn't lash out, she took that as sure sign to go further. "Ken, let's go."

With her free hand she gently pushed Kiyoshi so she stood in front of Ken. Now with both hands on his, Seiko pulled him from behind the boulder and turned his back to his brother. They didn't need to look at each other for the moment that much she knew.

"Seiko, wait," the girl paused at the sound of Kiyoshi's worried tone. "When you feel something is going wrong, or if any of you are in danger, contact me through the microphone in your ear. Medical nins are trained to stay behind on the battle field, so just say anything when you need help."

She needed that—that reassurance. The tension between the brothers was palpable even before they left for this mission a few days ago. It just wasn't this strong. But Yoshi knew her. He knew that she would have panicked, and instead of Ken or him ruining the mission, it would be her. She never did too well with stressful situations or the dark for that matter, and she was entering the very thing that could trigger both and the outcome wouldn't be pretty.

Seiko loved Ken like a brother, but Kiyoshi would always stand by her no matter what. He was that kind of person. Ken was not. He did not like coddling people, especially her. She had gone through a lot; she should have toughen up, according to him, but she's just a frighten girl. His tough love had made her strong though, so he wasn't completely heartless.

Though she felt sorry for Naomi-chan; the sweet girl got the asshole as a stalker.

Wait…why was she thinking this? The mission, damnit—the mission.

Closing her eyes, Seiko sighed. "Yeah," she muttered softly. "Thanks, Yoshi-kun." She opened her wide eyes and gently tugged Ken towards the snow-covered cave. "Come on, Ken-kun."

"Hn."

They disappeared before Yoshi's eyes. His smiling fading, he glanced down toward the white ground and held onto his stomach.

This feeling in the pit of his gut…what was it?

**0000**

It was no secret that Uchiha Sasuke was disappointed in his son, Kiyoshi. The boy knew that fact from the moment Ibiki told the man that his own son was labeled as a pacifist. That was the price for having hemophobia as well as thanatophobia. He saw that narrowed, calculating look his father had sent him, but it didn't affect him as much as it should have. Every single one of his siblings idolized tousan—they all wanted to be just like him. Strong. Brave. You know all that bullshit.

Not Kiyoshi.

He didn't know why, but being just like tousan seemed so wrong to him. He also wasn't sure in what sense, but when he thought too hard on it, his mind would just freeze. It was as if his brain was telling him to stop thinking. _I want to protect you_. It sounded crazy, even to him, but that's the feeling he gets whenever he thought of how he wanted to be nothing like him.

_Why, though_?

Maybe he wanted to be different. Unlike his siblings, he didn't want to be considered powerful through Sasuke's eyes; instead, he would rather like to be like his mother. Kaachan was gentle, soft spoken, and just an all around great person. She's innocent, despite all that has happened in her life, his mother was still able to retain some sort pureness that most shinobi lacked. And he wanted that. He couldn't be sure if his mother killed, but he's almost positive if she's put into that kind of situation, kaachan wouldn't like to take a life.

But she had no other choice.

He did. And his choice—_his ninja way_—was to _never _take a life, only heal and give life back.

But again, why?

He has been questioning his beliefs ever since Ken had been attack a month ago. His brother was, once again, where all Konoha's rage was directed at. He knew somewhere in his mind that something was going on with Ken that day, but he shook it off. That brat could take care of himself—he enjoyed taking lives, unlike him. However, the damaged done to Ken was more than Kiyoshi had expected, and he only had himself to blame. But…if he had just listened to his twin telepathy crap, maybe there might have been a chance he could have saved his brother from all that pain.

If Kiyoshi wasn't such a hemophobic, Ken wouldn't be the way he was now!

There was so much fucking tension between the two. Hell, the tension between Yoshi and Sasuke was even more so. He didn't know why, but he blamed his dad. There had to be a _reason _Konoha hated them so damn much! They had never done _anything wrong_, so why target the kids? He wasn't fucking stupid; he had noticed the way a lot of people stare at his dad, the way they look at them. Hatred and fear was palpable enough to feel even as a naïve child. And even then he knew all that rage was somehow connected to tousan.

Kiyoshi guessed it didn't matter.

Whatever happened in his past with Konoha, Sasuke will tell them. Whatever it was, Kiyoshi knew it had something to do with tousan's brother, Itachi. Tousan talked about him a lot, and every time he did the elder twin always caught that sadness swimming in his eyes.

Haji knew everything, but he was reluctant to spill the beans. _"Just…be patient, alright?_" He had said. _"Tousan is not willing to tell you anything for a reason, but he will. Trust me."_

His parents were criminals…how the hell was he supposed to be patient?!

Kiyoshi avoided his father since Ken's attack. He didn't know why, but just looking at him made his vision blurry and his stomach began to turn in an uncomfortable way. He didn't know why he acted that way, nor did he know exactly why he blamed tousan for the way Ken turned out. But he knew it was his fault.

It was his fault Kiyoshi turned out this way as well.

His mind refused to travel any further on the matter again, and he was thankful. Something was telling him that acknowledging a certain fact would make him weaker—he didn't want that.

Kiyoshi shook his head. He needed to stop thinking and concentrate on the mission at hand.

Hokage-sama offered Sakura-sensei's team a certain mission. Yoshi had no idea why Naruto recommended them. They were no trackers, nor were they a tactical team. Some considered them to be the brawn. They were subtle in their attacks, of course; a well thought out plan and being clandestine was still a major factor on how they work, but in the end, they were a close combat group. It would have been better if Naruto-sama had chosen Hana-sensei's group instead. Now her team was full of smartasses and could capture the leader with little problem.

They were a tactical group, it only made sense.

Kiba's son, Misaki, not only had the nose and dog to sniff out the target, but had the brains as well. Shikamaru's son, Akihiko, was the level-head genius that could conjure up several plans in less than two seconds. Then there was Chouji's daughter, Tsubaki, who had the perfect chakra control and intelligence to secretly conjure up whatever illusion she wanted to confuse the hell out of said target, or knock them out right then and there.

Seiko had enough control and power to use a genjutsu, but it wouldn't last long. That was why both Ken and Kiyoshi agreed to the former's sharingan power to make the illusion last. His otouto wasn't very good with genjutsu, but he learned enough from Hajime on how to make it worthwhile. And well…he has gotten stronger.

Realizing the connection, Kiyoshi cursed

Of _course_! Why the hell didn't he see this earlier? Naruto-sama wanted someone capable of breaking genjutsu with little trouble. The leader of the group was well known for having a sharingan and using that single eye for an advantage, but he wasn't an Uchiha. He lacked full control than what the rightful blood could do. And the sharingan's genjutsu were powerful.

Kiyoshi was great with his doujutsu, and could easily see through a rouse, Ken could not. He lacked the chakra control to break illusions by himself, but then again, the only time he was under genjutsu was during training with tousan and Haji-nii. They're both really great with genjutsu.

He had broken the illusion easy enough, but still struggled a bit. Everything was different now.

So…this was different. A foe user sharingan was practically useless against an actual Uchiha. There was no way Ken could be beaten easily. It was full proof. There was no way this mission would fail. Naruto-sama knew this as well.

Pft…and tousan calls him an idiot.

Kiyoshi blew out of his mouth after all that thinking and fell against the boulder. He ignored the way the snow melted into his clothes; he was almost positive his skin was tearing apart right about now. It wasn't important any way. He was worried. More about Seiko than Ken now, at least. She was his best friend, and was someone he would do anything for. When they had first met, he noticed the way her eyes always darted away from him and Ken, and only focused on the ground, the sky, and Sakura-sensei.

She would freeze up whenever he had to approach her, or spar.

At first, he thought she was pathetic. He never did voice that out loud; Ken did that for him. But it wasn't pathetic in a bad way, but more…how should he put this…sad? It wasn't quite right, but he felt sorry for her. She was scared of everything and didn't allow anyone to break through her walls.

After founding out _why _she was like that in the first place changed his perspective. He protected her. She wanted to changed, so he helped. She wanted to become strong, so he trained with her. Now, three years later, Seiko was considered family in the Uchiha household. It didn't help that she practically lived there, but that was mostly his kaachan and neechan _forcing _her to sleepover.

_"We need more girls around,"_ Hitomi says. _"She's like the sister I always wanted."_

Kiyoshi never mentioned how she was actually only using Seiko, but his sister could be pretty scary when backed talked. Sure, he's way stronger than her, but Hitomi had that thing that all females have that turn them into raging monsters every month. Yeah, unlike Hajime or Ken, he kisses ass. Hitomi was protective of Toshiro, so he didn't count. Did that make him a wuss, though? Maybe.

Psh…whatever.

How hell did he end up talking about periods?

Smirking, Kiyoshi leaned his head against the large rock. "Damn, I'm weird."

Maybe his mind was drifting because Ken and Seiko were taking so long. It shouldn't have taken more than five minutes to placed a genjutsu and just silently kidnap the leader. Unless the genjutsu wasn't strong enough, but that was what Ken was for?

He honestly did not know if the mission had been compromised, and it left him a bit anxious. Kiyoshi hated the unknown, just as much as he hated death and blood…which could all go hand to hand if one were to think about it. The dark. The unknown. Death…blood. They were all the same.

He was worthless.

Like…the worst ninja in the history of ninjas. Yeah, he became a jonin when he turned fourteen, but no matter how strong he was physically, mentally was where his weakness lied. This was not something he could handle.

Ken knew it, tousan knew it.

The only one who had encouraged him further was Seiko. She was the only one he had told how he felt. But then again, she was the only one he truly trusted and felt comfortable around…besides his family at least. But even then, Seiko gave him a level of understanding that not even Ken could manage, and that helped him out a lot. It made him feel better about himself.

After what happened to Ken, he avoided her. He did not deserve to hear her aggressive words, her encouraging smile or her torrid eyes. He let his otouto get hurt when Kiyoshi knew he could have prevented that from happening.

It pissed him off so much. That was why he was so damn tense around Ken. His brother walked on a very thin line, and it was all Kiyoshi's fault. What made things worse, he was being so damn passive-aggressive towards Seiko and she only accepted it all. Usually, his friend would mess up his beautiful hair and laugh all the while. No…she knew something was wrong with him once she had seen him again. Seiko would never hold anger towards him, he knew this all too well.

And he had _tried _to bluntly say, "Fuck off," because, and he did not know how much he stressed to say this, he did not deserve _any amount _of her love. If he told her that he had been too much of a coward to go look out for his brother her opinion of him would change.

And why the fuck not?

He wanted that, didn't he? The teenage boy did not want love or forgiveness or understanding, all of those things Seiko would no doubt hand him without hesitation. But he was scared. It wasn't like he would be alone if he did lose her as a friend. Still…he'd rather keep her ignorant than see disdain burn in her grey eyes.

Or he was just being fucking dramatic, who fucking knew.

Kiyoshi took a deep breath, and then closed his eyes.

He forced his mind to go blank as his sharp ears listened for any disturbance.

So far, only silence dominated the moonless night.

Then he heard static noises.

"Kiyoshi!"

The surprisingly loud cry made the Uchiha jump. He immediately grabbed his bearings and grabbed onto his walkie-talkie. "Hello?"

"Please—" Seiko's plea was cut short as a screech broke through her lips.

He started panicking. "Seiko? What the hell is going on? Where's Ken? What's wrong?!" His ears were only met with more yelling. It felt like they were bleeding.

She stopped screaming now, but it only seemed to make the pain worse.

"Seiko?"

"Shh!" She was whispering. And through her cracked voice, he could detect the panic in her tone. "Hurry. They have Ken, and…and…"

"_And_?"

There were a few beats of silence. "Just come. I managed to escape, but barely. Yoshi-kun…that man…he's stronger than we thought."

What the hell? How was that possible? There was no possible way that a non Uchiha could out match an actual one when it comes to the sharingan. Ken, especially…now more than ever. Something wasn't adding up here.

"I'm coming!"

Kiyoshi got up from the snow and set out towards the hideout. A certain feeling had started invading his body. He wasn't sure what it was, but he lusted for destruction. For revenge. If something were to happen to his brother…he couldn't handle that.

"Hurr—"

Seiko was cut off.

"Seiko?" Kiyoshi had tried contacting her multiple times, but it was obvious that her microphone had broken.

Fuck!

"Fuck." Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

This was not happening! His teammates—his best friends—were_ not going to die_! He wouldn't allow that. No harm, or pain, or death, or_ blood_, would mar them. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Kiyoshi stopped at the entrance of the dark cave. His torrid thoughts were now replaced by doubts. Starring into the abyss, he cringed as the screeches that no doubt belonged to Ken and Seiko, scratched and clawed at his ears. He closed his eyes and _forced _his heart to calm the fuck down. The heavy breathing continued, though, and nothing would stop it. He knew what lied in there. Whether he was to suck it up and face it, or run away was his choice.

But hearing that faint echo of his name ringed through his body. Seiko needed him. His brother needed him. He was their only shot at survival at this moment. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

The Uchiha took a deep breath and stepped into the unknown.

**0000**

_He dreamed of everything._

_They were eating on the green grass._

_Seiko was laughing at him again. He smirked. Ken complained._

_His friend grabbed his chin, and with her lightly tanned finger, she wiped the crumbs off his cheek. For some reason his face felt hot._

_Ken smirked. He frowned._

_It was a happy moment, eating at their training spot. Twelve. Naïve. Weak. Innocent._

_He wished it were still true._

_The image suddenly changed._

_This time Seiko was not grinning. Her face was bloodied and bruised. She was crying out on the street. When she saw him, she ran away. It hurt. That fear. What did he do wrong? His eyes began stinging._

_He was at the hospital. His little brother was staring blankly at the ceiling. Empty. Lifeless. Bitter! Angry! Crazy! _

_The scars on his face were signs. That ugly scar just above his right eye…it was meant for his eye. His slightly burned chin, it was meant for his other eye. His cut up lips, it was meant to keep him quiet. That scar on his shoulder, it was meant for his neck. He should be dead._

_Maybe he was._

_"You're okay, Ken."_

_He wasn't._

_"I'll protect you from now on."_

_Kiyoshi mentally laughed. _

_"I'm sorry."_

_It was too late._

_It became dark. He was seeing himself through a cracked window. It was hard to see, but he could tell he was smiling at himself. It was a sick, twisted smile. It kept secrets. What did he want? Why were his eyes so damn bloody?!_

_His reflection began laughing._

_And laughing. And laughing._

_And screeching. _

_And clawing at his face._

_Kiyoshi felt the world suck him up. He felt light headed. _

_He threw up, and blacked out._

* * *

AN: So...what did you think? BTW, I wasn't a huge Neji fan, but I did respect him as an improved character, so I'll make a chapter just for him.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Sorry for late update, but I've been down lately and haven't really the urge to write. Anyway, thanks a BUNCH to those who reviewed, and this time I PROMISE to respond the registered reviewers. Next update will be the last in Kiyoshi's story. I might post a story on Ayumi's and Gaara's relationship, or one of Toshiro's relationship with his family. Either one of those will be posted next, but more than likely the third part will be posted it.

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Kiyoshi's Story: The Pacifist Part II

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* * *

When light broke through his eyes, the first thing Kiyoshi did was curse at the heavens for this ungodly sunlight. Fuck, his head hurt like a bitch. The next thing he did was to turn his back to the very thing that caused his precious brain to burn, but when he did, a firm hand pushed him back to place. For some reason he felt like tearing that piece of flesh off. The thought made him feel sick.

So he ignored that impulse, and slowly opened his eyes so he could adjust to the light. Once his blurry vision was gone, he noticed how white his room was. And that it smelled bad. Like medicine. He blinked. His dark eyes were on his arms, and he took of wires strapped on him, as well as that annoying white gown he was wearing, and groaned. He was at the hospital…Great. What the hell happened anyway? Was the mission completed?

And hell did his head feel like someone was groping it.

Kiyoshi knew someone was in here with him, who else pushed him back down against his damn will? He was annoyed to say the least. Reluctantly, he sat up and leaned against the headboard of his bed. He glared at his older sister, completely ignoring that worried look on her face. He then proceeded to scowl at Toshiro as well, because hell, he was in here as well…disturbing his goddamn sleep. Shiro's white eyes widen. Blushing, he looked toward the very bright window.

"You're finally awake."

"No shit." Kiyoshi disregarded his sister's tone and her happy smile. What the hell was she so glad about anyway?

Seriously, what the fuck happened?!

Hitomi frowned. He winced as she pulled on his ear. "Don't talk to me like that, you idiot." She suddenly smiled and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

What the hell was up with her and her mood swings…she must be on her period again. In which case, he must kiss ass lest he get an ass kicking later on.

That being said, he awkwardly hugged her back. "Yeah…what happened?"

Hitomi looked surprised, but Shiro simply stared at him.

"You've been asleep for almost two weeks—wait…you…don't remember?" She looked disappointed.

Kiyoshi nodded. "I remember Seiko, Ken, and I were on a mission…and I remember we found that leader…but…after they went after them, I don't remember anything." He shook his head. "It's all blank." He turned toward his little brother. "They're alright?"

Toshiro tilted his face. He was clearly confused. "What makes you think they're okay?"

Why were they being so weird?

"I mean…the plan was full proof, right? That guy had nothing on Ken's powers, or Seiko's genjutsu." His smirk slipped at their hesitant expressions. "Right?"

Gulping, Shiro nudged his sister. He jerked his head towards his older brother once he caught her strange eyes. Hitomi nudged him back and jerked her head toward her little brother. They continued this process until Kiyoshi knew he would die by the stupidity of it all.

Fine, if they wouldn't answer his questions, he would get them later.

Kiyoshi leaned back on the bed, and closed his eyes. He suddenly felt tired again. "Where's kaachan?"

"U-Umm, she's on a mission." Toshiro answered.

"And…tousan?" Why did he feel like puking?

Hitomi groaned. "He's on the mission with her. They'll be back in a couple of weeks, but those elders are being a couple of douches with them lately."

"And Sakura-sensei?"

There was a pause.

He opened one eye, curious by their hesitation. He noticed how they avoided his face. Hitomi was chewing the inside of her cheek, and Shiro had his eyes stuck on the window again. This was getting annoying.

"What the hell is going on? Where are sensei, and Seiko…and Ken!"

"Sensei is fine," Hitomi answered, but the way her eyes became clouded with sadness did not relief him one bit.

"What about Seiko, and Ken?"

"Ken is fine as well, well…physically at least."

His heart seemed to have stopped. "What do mean by physically."

Toshiro got up from his seat. He frantically waved his hands in order to calm his brother. That irregular heart beat wasn't something good in his state. "He's out of the hospital, an-and…Naomi-san is making him better, so he's okay! He's making good progress."

"What the _fuck happened_!?"

At this point his heart beat was out of control. It won't be long before a medic comes in to sedate him, but he wasn't thinking of that. He wanted answers. _Now_.

"What happened to Seiko!?"

Hitomi stopped him from getting up. She pushed him down on the bed, but his strength was too much for her. He was pulling at the wires. He pushed his sister away and got up, all the while ignoring the way his head screamed for him to stop and fucking rest. But something was wrong. He knew something happened, but his mind refused to venture further. Ken was "fine", as long as Naomi could keep him calm and under control, then that was good enough. But what the fuck happened to Seiko?

Why the fuck won't they answer his questions.

"Kiyoshi, you have to get back to bed! Y-You're not well!" Hitomi begged him. She stopped Toshiro from stopping the out of control teen. Sure, he's strong enough to stop him, but her youngest brother was smaller and not par with Kiyoshi's brute force. He could accidently break his arm, and no one wanted that.

"Haji-nii is coming tomorrow! You should rest until then, okay!?" He ignored her as he forced his way to the door. "Kiyoshi, _please_! You can't handle any of this right now. You're not ready to see her!"

What the hell was that supposed to mean.

"Tch."

Kiyoshi literally pulled the door's hinges off as he tore it opened. It didn't matter. With an ugly grimace, the Uchiha dropped the wood on the cold floor. He glanced back up, freezing as he met the eyes of two angered medical goddesses.

His earlier malice turned into fear.

"Heh," he waved sheepishly at the two women. "Sakura-sensei, Tsunade-sama…how nice seeing you two lovely women."

Sakura grabbed his ear and pulled him towards his bed. "Ow, owowowowow! Sensei, that hurts!"

"You're paying for that door, Uchiha," Tsunade called out before walking away.

"What the _hell _were you thinking?" Kiyoshi winced as Sakura aggressively pushed him on his bed. Her fingers were practically breaking his hand.

He cringed and whined, but did not complain. Sakura-sensei looked too scary to argue with.

"I don't know, okay? I just…I don't remember anything, and-and…what's wrong with Seiko, sensei?"

"You don't remember." He shook his head.

He had hoped that maybe sensei would give him answers. She was a medic. She had to be blunt and merciless when it comes to these sort of situations…all medics were trained to give bad news and not feel any remorse; otherwise it would be too painful. But she became gentle. Her earlier, angry eyes were now clouded with regret. Her pink lips were pulled down into a sad frown.

"You're not going to tell me." It wasn't a question.

"No, at least...not me."

He was angry again. He pulled his hand away from her. The scowl he sent her was enough to make the shame in her eyes more palpable. "You're the damn head of the hospital, and my former team leader. If not you, than who?"

The Uchiha siblings all stared at the pink head. She did not answer for seconds. Or minutes. Or hours. She continued to sadly stare at his white sheets as if she could somehow suck herself into them to avoid his heated stare.

Shiro and Hitomi both knew what happened. Sakura and Ken had told them. They couldn't tell their brother what happened to his teammates or the mission, and that confused Hitomi. Sakura-sensei had told them that he had shown signs of amnesia before blacking out during that mission. If he should not remember anything, than whatever she told them had to be kept from Kiyoshi until the moment presented itself. Toshiro understood, but didn't like it. Whether they liked it or not, this was whole situation was between them.

They should leave.

The youngest Uchiha grabbed hold of his nee-san's hand and guided her out the room. He simply shook his head when she tried to say something to Kiyoshi. Now wasn't the time.

"Are you going to tell me?" Kiyoshi demanded, completely oblivious to his siblings' departure.

Sakura took a deep with. She then sent him a bitter smile. His anger began to dissipate. "You have amnesia."

Kiyoshi grunted. He nodded though; it made complete since. He touched his aching head. "Is that why my head hurt so much? Did something hit me?"

Her fake smile became smaller. "I'll tell you the mission details later with Naruto…when you're ready to be out of the hospital. And…" She pushed her long bangs behind her ears and took a deep breath. "What happened to Seiko…is not something you should hear from me."

"Why not?"

"Seiko-chan doesn't want you to know."

And just like that, that malice was gone for good.

He was numb now.

She hated him, and…he didn't know what to feel about that. Maybe she didn't hate him, but after hearing all this, he was sure he failed to protect her in some way. Maybe she was disgusted, or thinks less of him now. Either way, he was on auto pilot.

Sensei's voice, that heart monitor, the bird chirping outside his window…he couldn't hear them.

He was sleepy.

Kiyoshi turned his back to his teacher, and with little trouble, went into a deep slumber.

**0000**

_"Where'd you get that?"_

_Kiyoshi reached for Seiko's arms, but she flinched back. He frowned at her reaction, but continued to scrutinize the bruises on her arm._

_"O-Oh this? I was sparring with my dad, and he accidently hit a bit too hard. Heh-heh!"_

_Kiyoshi laughed with her. "Ha! My aniki did that to me once. I cried. He told me to suck it up, but kaachan went all ape shit on his ass!"_

_His laugh sounded obnoxious even to his own ears, but that horrified expression of hers had to go away. It went from fearful to sad. _

_He made things worse._

_He was older now, fifteen, and in a dark place. He heard those screaming. Her screams. She kept yelling for his name, but he was stuck on the ground, watching the scene unfold before him. Why couldn't he move? Fucking move! She was bleeding! Her eyes begged for salvation, or death! She was staring at him, pleading, and begging to save her._

_He couldn't move!_

_He looked down at his hands and his stomach twisted at the sight._

_What the fuck happened!?_

_His breathing became heavy and irregular. His eyes were crazed and wide as he stared down onto blood filled hands. He didn't realize he was crying until he felt his tears being wiped away. Slowly, he looked up to meet Ken's red eyes. He looked dead._

_"Sorry."_

_That was when he screamed._

**0000**

His throat was raw when he woke. He didn't realize he was shouting until he heard his own screech pounding in his ear. He also didn't realize he was thrashing and clawing at his skin until two, large hands stopped his movements.

"Kiyoshi!"

That voice…he recognized that voice. It was calm, deep, and worried.

Once Kiyoshi knew this was real, he tried to grab his bearings. It was hard. He kept seeing blood behind his eyes. The panic was crushing his chest, making it difficult to breathe. Faintly, he heard his heart beat monitor begin to spike.

Yeah, his chest hurt. A lot.

"You need to calm down!"

And he tried just that. Kiyoshi slowly relaxed his muscles and took long, deep breaths. It was hot, and he was sweating. It wasn't good to continue panicking the way he was. So, he forced the bloody images out to keep a calm head and steady his fast paced heart. The only hindrance was his breathing, but it was too difficult to control it since the only thing he could see was blood.

The fear punching at his chest…it made him whimper. He began crying.

"Kiyoshi! Yoshi, open your eyes."

He listened to his brother's voice.

Once the blurry coax went away, the person he saw was none other than Hajime. He blinked again once it became fuzzy. He didn't know it was his tears, but that didn't matter. He felt empty now. No fear or pain. Just…he was there, and that was all.

Hajime gently placed a pale hand on his brother's forehead. Kiyoshi was looking at the frown, but wasn't registering the worry behind it. He also wasn't aware of how his brain was constantly hammering against his skull, like it wanted to be freed. It hurt, but he couldn't feel it at that moment.

Something was wrong with him.

"Fuck, you scared the hell out of me." Kiyoshi simply turned his head. "Kazekage-sama came to meet with Naruto, and I thought to come along with him to check up on you." He knew; Hitomi told him Haji-nii was coming. "Ayumi wanted to come, but…" he paused, and then sighed. "Look, I don't believe you've forgotten everything."

Kiyoshi stiffened. He glanced at his older brother out of the corner of his eye. He looked a lot like kaachan, just the hair and eyes belonged to tousan. And those same lips. When he scowled his resemblance to their father was more visible. Like now. He didn't like it.

"I once read that people get amnesia when their shock is great enough, but can still subconsciously relive or remember things that had happened." Hajime crossed his arms. "I asked Ino to come by to dig through your memories."

Kiyoshi gritted his teeth, but refused to speak.

"You remember bits of it."

He was lying!

"If this continues you'll become…" Hajime stopped talking, frustrated at his usual blunt choice of words. He rubbed the back of his neck and grunted. "Do you even know why you're in here?" No answer. "You're not injured. No sign of physical trauma. You're healthy. So why?" He scowled. "Seiko told me everything."

Now he was pissed. Kiyoshi shouted, angry at his friend's lack of trust in him. He was angry at her and pissed at nii-san! He knew her better than anybody else, why the hell was she acting like he was a piece of shit!? What made nii-san, or sensei more important than him?

When Hajime reached for him, Kiyoshi shouted louder. "Don't touch me!"

What the fuck!? Why did he feel like ripping his hand to shreds? Kiyoshi's stomach twisted painfully till he was almost positive it had been ripped apart. He had tried to keep the bile down, but the urge was uncontrollable. He puked right next to his bed. He coughed, and heaved, and kept crying his fucking eyes out because something in the back of his mind was telling him disgusting.

It was showing him an image of himself with bloodied hands. The worst part about it was the bodies at his feet. His head started pounding harder. He screamed.

He pulled on his hair to keep the pain and memories down, but they both laughed at his plea. He was scratching at his face so hard that he had begun to bleed; his head stung horribly from all that hair he literally tore off, but those things did not matter to him. He didn't want to remember.

"Aniki! Please make it stop!"

The next thing he knew, his world became dark and ominous.

**0000**

_The cave walls were harsh and cold. The rocks cut into his skin, but he continued to guide his way through the dark. Those screeches…he wouldn't stop now. Kiyoshi was getting closer to his brother._

_What were they doing to him? He was shouting for him, screaming, "Kiyoshi!"_

_Fuck!_

_Activating his sharingan, he began running till he saw a faint light, and then completely stopped at the bodies he was seeing. There was that man, standing tall and might, glaring down at his little brother. Even from where he was standing at, he could detect the grin on his face._

_This reminded him of that time when they were kids. When that man attacked Ken and just stood there defenseless and as his brother's life was being choked out him. He couldn't do anything then. He could do something now._

_At this point his rage had taken over his body, he wasn't fully aware of his actions. One second he was dumbfounded at his brother's writhing form, the next he had his fist through the bastard's heart. The black haired man turned toward Kiyoshi. The Uchiha noticed little of the way the man's sharingan was formed; no…he didn't care at all. He wanted him dead. With his other hand, Kiyoshi grabbed the man's skull and slowly began crushing the man's head._

_He was dead already, but Kiyoshi didn't care._

_What would one call this…overkill? Brutality? Sadism?_

_He _tortured _his brother. All morality could go burn in hell as far as he knew._

_Kiyoshi placed a genjutsu on his writhing brother to knock him out. He shouldn't be suffering any longer._

_His head snapped at the direction where he heard Seiko scream, and with a foreign adrenaline rush flowing throughout his body, he set out to kill the bastards that were harming her._

_But the image was suddenly cut off._

**0000**

He woke up with a start. Kiyoshi's burning eyes snapped opened and he gasped as he his fists clenched almost painfully onto his sheets till he faintly heard the sound of ripping. Right now, blood pounded into his ears, making his head throb so damn much that tears involuntarily slipped out of his eyes. He gasped again, this time because he couldn't take the pain anymore, so he squeezed his eyes shut and pleaded for the pain to subside. He was incredibly terrified. His heavy breathing was proof of that. And the worst part of it all was that he finally _knew _why he was acting the way he was.

But he refused to accept it. A cool hand touched his otherwise hot forehead and he cringed away from it. "Don't touch me," he whimpered. Still, that hand did not move. He recognized it though, since he had felt that same person do that plenty of times whenever he was sick or injured. Oddly enough, it didn't bring him comfort like it usually did.

What was more disgusting? Being afraid of his loved ones, or wanting to harm them for being scared?

"Was this supposed to happen, Ino-pig?" Kiyoshi heard his sensei mutter darkly to her best friend.

There was bitter scoff. "Shut up, like you could any better. This brat wanted to keep his memories very hidden. He's surprisingly good. He's done this before."

"What makes you think that?" The young Uchiha heard Hajime question.

_Stop talking about me like I'm not here!_

But he couldn't say anything. This….this grotesque hammering going on in his brain dumb down any kind of intelligent comeback he could give to the grownups. It was seriously pissing him off! Get rid of this fucking pain!

"Well, for starters, my chakra is practically none-existent. Usually whenever I go through memories, whether they have amnesia or not, it's actually really easy to break through a certain barrier they keep up that makes them forget. Kiyoshi-kun took me three times longer to infiltrate than it should have. That's not normal."

"Then comes the actual memories," Ino continued. "They were very dark and vague, so I couldn't make up a lot. Even if he didn't remember what happen, it should have been pretty clear to see, but then again, people diagnosed with amnesia really don't remember anything. Kiyoshi-kun, on the other hand, was fully aware of the memory as well as my presence, and tried his hardest to keep them at bay."

Sakura removed her cool hand off his head, but he felt her rummage through something near her. "Why would he do such a thing?" she asked almost irritably.

"He doesn't want to remember," Ino answered. "I had to stop before I could go any farther, otherwise he would have reacted violently. He obviously doesn't want me to invade his mind. Plus, he seemed a bit too good at keeping unwanted memories locked away. I'm almost positive he had hidden certain memories or feelings buried deep within his head."

There was a pause. "No offense, Hajime-kun, but this is very serious. Your otouto is not mentally healthy at all. Unlike Ken-kun, Kiyoshi-kun does a much better job at hiding his instability."

What the hell was she talking about? He was perfectly fine! The only _fucking problem _he has was this fucking headache that wouldn't piss off! He opened his mouth to say something, but the only thing audible was the small groan leaving his lips. Fuck. Fuck his life. Why the hell was it so damn painful!

He coughed which only made him writhe from the horrible way his brain pounded.

Sensei's cool hand gently lifting the back of his neck, he tried protesting but something cool and nice dripped into his mouth. He recognized the liquid to be water. He hadn't noticed how thirsty he was until it came into his mouth, so he hungrily drank.

"Please be patient, Kiyoshi. You can't drink so much water, but here," when she took the plastic cup from his lips, he almost cursed at her, but she gently shoved two pills in his mouth. She placed the cup back to his lips. "They won't heal you immediately, okay?"

All he bothered to hear was "heal". Whatever it took, as long as this shit stopped bothering him.

"What about the migraines?" Kiyoshi heard Hajime question.

Ino sighed. "Tch, it's not common, but with most amnesia patients, they intend to get painful migraines because of the shock they feel when long term amnesic remembers something. This usually happens with victims that went through psychological trauma, though."

"I take it that fear and stress are the main factors?" Ino grunted.

It was silent after that.

Kiyoshi didn't know how long it took for his headache to subside, but once he was able to open his eyes with little trouble, he suspected it took hours. The room was illuminated with fluorescent lights, but outside the window to his right he was staring at the dark sky. There was nothing to see, not even that bright sky showing the human's way during nightfall. It was a new moon again.

How incredibly sad.

Slowly, Kiyoshi turned his head away from the window and towards where the door was at. He flinched once he caught sight of Hajime and Ino talking quietly by said door. Looking at them…his heart felt like it was on fire. The usual happy-go-lucky smile plastered on his face was now replaced by a heavy, hateful scowl. His discontent obsidian eyes glowered with malice palpable enough to feel. And they must have felt it for both adults stared at the young boy. The blonde woman, one with a face so damn similar to Naomi, held herself with an air of confidence. It was really pissing him off.

His brother was worse. Hajime, though temperamental, had always been calm and collected. He was stoic and stern when needed to be. He never felt sorry for anyone or never had the audacity to look down at anyone as if they were weak. He just _wasn't _one to underestimate anyone. Right now though…he was acting as if Kiyoshi was indeed disabled.

He was _fine_. Nothing was wrong with him. The unstable one was Ken and everybody knew this for a fact, so they both need to stop fucking with his goddamn emotions! He...

No.

Just no!

He wouldn't think about—_refused _to even play with these fucking memories!

"Yoshi! Yoshi! Calm down." He hadn't even noticed his older brother running up to him, but he did see was that hand of his coming towards him.

Kiyoshi slapped the hand away before it touched him. "Get away from me."

The younger Uchiha pulled the wires off his wrist and chest so he wouldn't have to listen to that constant _beep _noise. It was bad enough that he could already feel and hear his heart fucking with his chest and ears. The fifteen year old sat up and leaned against the head board, still breathing rapidly.

"Turn it off," Kiyoshi grunted as he jerked his head to the monitor beside his bed.

Hajime didn't hesitate to listen.

Now that it was quiet, the air between all three was incredibly tense. Kiyoshi had his dark eyes solely placed on Ino. He hated her so _fucking _much at the moment. There were no words to describe the disgust he felt for himself because of her.

As he spoke, the words forced out of his mouth were low but angry, "What did you do?"

It took a while for her to answer, but when she did it made him to laugh, "The best thing for you."

"Kiyoshi, listen." Said boy jerked away from his brother when he saw him reach for him. Hajime frowned, but slowly placed his hand on the bed instead. "You're in here for psychological evaluation."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Hajime snapped. "All you've been doing since you came back was sleep and have nightmares. You've lost weight, and if anything you've become so hostile."

He didn't remember much besides those two incidents when he awoke, but the way his brother talked implied that Kiyoshi has been awake more than twice. If he had, then it wasn't for long.

"Once you become physically healthy again—as in eating your food—Ibiki-san will come for you."

"But I'm fine."

Hajime was at the point of losing his temper, but Ino interrupted before he did, "You killed five men."

His whole body held stilled. No breath. No blinking. Just constant staring at the monstrous things he called his hands. He did. He knew. Fuck, he kept trying to deny that fact since he had woken up that first time, but he just didn't want to accept the fact that he had _murdered_—brutally murdered people. Never mind the fact that those five people all deserve something worse than death, but that didn't change anything.

His hands had _tortured_. Didn't he promise himself he wouldn't be like tousan, or Ken? He wasn't a damn sadist?! He feared confrontation like cats that feared water. He avoided them at all cost! Now that his crimes were out in the open, he could very damn well remember what he did to those other men! But he _refused _to remember what he did, but only that he did played with them until they died.

Why? Why the fuck did she tell him this? It was obvious to everyone that knew him that his fear of violence was just out of scale. It was pathetic someone so strong wouldn't use his powers to protect the ones he loved. But he did just that didn't he? The leader tortured his own littler brother. He had to no fucking choice! And Seiko—

Kiyoshi slapped back to reality. With a deep exhale, the Uchiha boy curled into himself. His forehead on his knees, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, and his fucking hands on either side of his head…he was panicking. He had tried taking deep breaths but he was sounding as if he was having some kind of asthma attack. Maybe he was.

Everything was just so fucked! He didn't want to remember what happened to Seiko because it was his fault! No! Nonononono! Screw Ino. Screw Hajime! They couldn't do this to him, it was torture!

"Kiyoshi, calm down." He barely heard his brother's anxious tone, or his hand rubbing his back.

Kiyoshi just wanted to get the fuck out! No more of this. Whatever he was trying to keep hidden, will remain hidden until he accepted what he had done to Seiko! She hated him, it made sense. He understood now. In the end, whether it was his fault, or Seiko's, or even Ken's, there will be one person who's responsible for all his bullshit.

But until that time came to confront his father, he wanted to sleep.

**0000**

The next time he woke up he was staring at a face so similar to his, yet so disturbingly different. His brother didn't smile or anything, but the relief was easy enough to see. Kiyoshi simply turned his head so he wouldn't have to stare at the scars.

He then noticed Naomi's gentle presence just behind Ken. They caught eyes. She smiled gently. It angered him for some reason. Her. Him. Them. They pissed him off.

"What are you doing here?" Kiyoshi muttered. He closed his eyes, not because he was still sleepy, but because he didn't want to look at them.

"Why do you think?" Ken muttered back. The older twin didn't answer. "Hajime went back to Suna just a few hours ago," he added.

Kiyoshi felt disappointed. He rarely got to see his older brother anymore. Ever since he moved to Suna with his fiancé, Ayumi, Hajime has scarcely been in his life. It was understandable, though. For the Uchiha children, the legal age for them to move to another country or village was age twenty-one. The elders wanted to drag it out as much as they can to find a way to manipulate them, but they're not stupid.

Everyone was getting out of this village once they're of age.

"Niisan said he'll come back in two weeks though," Ken continued. "He wants to check up on you."

"Oh." He was pissed again. Why did it sound like he was the one completely fucked and not the guys standing right in front of him? Obviously it was forgotten that he had been the one who kept Ken in check all those damn years. Whenever his younger brother wanted to fight or kill, he was right there pacifying him!

"Shiro's here, too. He wanted to come and see you." When it was obvious Kiyoshi wasn't going to answer, Ken kept talking. "Hitomi is off on a mission, and she won't come back for a while. Kaasan and tousan are coming to see you."

"I don't want to see him." The clip, bitter tone surprised even him, but he wouldn't budge.

He could feel Ken's irritation radiating off of him, but he refused to open his eyes or respond to the tension surrounding the room.

"Why not?"

He stayed quiet until he heard Naomi whispered something to his brother. They left the room shortly after that. No one else visited him for the rest of the day.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: *Flinches* Long time no see, huh? Sorry! I WAS supposed to finish the Kiyoshi story for this chapter, but my laptop just stopped working, so I can't go into my files for this story and Ashes to Ashes. All the finished chapters I have for them are stuck in my broken laptop. I'm using my mom's for the moment, and decided to do a story for Toshiro. He's VERY neglected, along with Hitomi.

Also, I'm working on a Drrrrr! fanfic. Not very popular, but I don't mind. I'm writing it for my piece of mind anyway. So yeah, I want to thank for ALL the reviews I got, even the newer, brash one XD. And I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review, if you'd like. I love me some feedback.

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The Timid Uchiha Genius

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* * *

"M-My name?" There he goes again, always panicking for no reason. "Um…"

Large, white eyes looked between the three people staring at him. One with identical and patient eyes, an annoyed pinked haired boy, and that one girl looking at him like he was a piece of spoiled meat. He was really scared right now.

Toshiro took a deep breath and forcible said, "U-U-Uchiha To-Toshiro." Embarrassed eyes sought out after his uncles to see if he did good. When Neji nodded, Toshiro let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"And what are you dreams for the future?"

"Eh?"

The young boy's cheeks turned red now that he realized that he had to speak again. Eyes turned to his uncle, Toshiro silently begged him to skip him. He felt like crying when Neji shook his head.

He closed his eyes and gulped. "U-Um…m-my dreams…" he flinched when he heard an impatient sigh coming from his pink haired friend, Minato. "I want to-to l-leave K-K-Konoha and become Mi-Mizukage." Gods, did he feel like dying right about now.

Minato began laughing, making the youngest Uchiha withdraw into himself. "Ha, what a stupid goal! As if that would ever happen!"

Please, kill him now.

"Besides," the greened eyed boy started again after calming down. After the tears—and ignoring the deadly glares coming from his new sensei and that psycho next to him—he wrapped an arm around his friend's neck. "Why would you want to leave Konoha? It's the best place in the world!"

Minato didn't press further when Toshiro didn't answer.

"Uzumaki," Neji turned the attention to the obnoxious boy, "state you name and goals for the future."

"Hehe. My name is Uzumaki Minato, son of Uzumaki Naruto, the Hokage, and Sakura, the world's greatest medic!" he exclaimed proudly. "My dream is to be like ojiisan when I grow up. I want to be strong and well liked by everyone!"

The red head beside him scoffed. "No, now _that's_ a stupid dream."

Toshiro smiled at the angry blush forming on his friend's cheeks. "Hey!"

Rolling her eyes, the girl huffed and then turned her attention to her new sensei. "My name is Inuzuka Kasumi and my dream is to be part of the ANBU black ops, like my touchan."

"Inuzuka, huh?" Minato frowned. "Could of fooled me. Aren't you s'posed to have a deformed dog?"

"Tch. It's called a wolf, you idiot. And, yeah, I do!" Here, brown eyes became sad. "But she's sick."

Toshiro leaned forward to get a better look at her. He blinked. She looked far gentler than what her growl-like voice and scowl suggested. Despite not knowing her well enough, he did know who her parents were, since well…she looked a lot like both. But she looked more like her father than her mother, besides the hair. But her eye shaped reminded him of Karin-sensei when she wasn't constantly glaring at everything that walked by. Guess he knew where she got her attitude from.

Kaachan had said that Kiba had a very aggressive attitude when they were younger, but it was more like arrogance and egotism than being violent. Touchan, however, had said that Karin-sensei was a bit crazy and to stay away far from whatever offspring she produced. But, besides that feral grin, Kasumi looked harmless.

She looked…cute. The thought made him blush to no end.

Toshiro immediately gave his attention to Neji-sensei, who didn't help the situation by giving him a smug look.

"Alright," Neji's face became serious again. "Meet me by the front gates in an hour. Don't be late." And with that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Coughing, Minato waved the smoke away. "Could he have at least told us why?"

Toshiro knowingly shook his head. "Nope."

**0000**

The little Uchiha boy treaded carefully once he landed upon his family's estate. Walking towards his home, eyes scattering left to right, Toshiro gulped.

Why was he so nervous?

Oh, that's right: his father.

Never mind the fact that Uchiha Sasuke was well known to be overprotective to all his children, he took a step and beyond when it came towards his youngest child. Oh, Hitomi got a bruise during training? Sasuke taught her how to kill. Toshiro got a bruise during Neji-ji's traning? Go out and kill that fucker.

It's incredibly embarrassing that his own father is more protective with him than with his only baby girl, which is just sad and…and…annoying! If touchan were to find how many cuts and bruises he has on his body, not only would touchan kill Neji-ji, but he will kill Kasumi and Minato! Plus…he was beginning to like the brash girl, even if she is kind of crazy.

As he grew closer to the manor, Toshiro could sense only two Chakra signatures. He was no sensor, but he has enough chakra control to detect it, but not know who it was. He knew for sure that his mother wasn't at home, for she was doing a mission with Mizukage-sama. Neechan was with her teammates training, and Haji-nii obviously lives in Suna with his fiancé, so that definitely rules him out.

So it's either one of the twins, and tousan.

Or they were being attacked…again. He highly doubted it, but it was still probable, though who would be stupid enough to rob the manor of one of the most dishonorable, but powerful clans, in Konoha. One would think that the first few dead by Haji-nii's hands (since tousan was and still is threaten with execution should he lay a hand on a single Konoha citizen's head, and kaasan would face life imprisonment) people should know better than to mess with them.

Random people trying to kill him he can handle, but tousan scrutinizing all the bruises he has with subtle killer intent, and knowing he would more than likely confront his new sensei about his injuries—when Toshiro thinks "confront" he meant kill—wasn't something he wanted to deal with. So yeah, he would take a murderer over his own father anytime.

And yeah, he had expected kunai, shuriken, or maybe even poison to come flying towards him, but he was welcomed by the familiar garden scent that linger because of his mother's obsession with flowers. However, the usual, "Shiro's home," from one of his siblings was absent, and only silence lingered.

Though…there was _something_. Two people were in his house, and he heard…things. A bed. A bed _squeaking _to be exact and…moans? Whispers? The logical thing to do at this moment was to turn on his byakugan to see what the hell was going on, but he didn't because he didn't sense danger just…there was a bad feeling in the pit of his gut, but not the kind when he would sense, or see malicious intent. He was curious, actually, but not scared or threatened. And because of that, he quietly treaded up the stairs where the noises were coming from.

The more the distance began to shrink as he got to the second floor there were two things he realized. One: the noises were coming from Ken and Kiyoshi's room. Second: as the noises got louder, the more he realized that the voices sounded disturbing—and maybe he shouldn't be investigating this!

Crap, crapcrapcrap!

With a face brighter than a tomato, Toshiro, quick as a mouse, turned to run out of the house, but despite his amazing sense of direction and eyesight his boiling brain left him disoriented and overly flustered, and therefore…he crashed…into a wall.

The loud smack as well as his loud, "ooowww," made the voices coming from his brother's room to stop. And he began panicking.

The flight or run sense kicked, but his instinct chose to giggle at his expense since he was moving _very slowly _towards the staircase. Since he was incredibly smart and knew that any idiot could figure it out, Toshiro knew he was going to be discovered either way, so it wasn't much of a surprise to see the door fly open at such a speed that he felt surprise he didn't feel any kind of whiplash. But, gods, did he feel like going to blind after seeing who came out of the room…naked and all.

It was almost shameful that Kiyoshi-nii didn't bother to hide his…_thing_ as he looked down at Toshiro with barely contain rage.

"What the hell. Are you doing here?"

_Gods. Oh gods! This is not happening. Crapcrapcrap….I'm so dead—I'm so friggin' dead!_

While panicking internally, Shiro merely swallowed the large lump in his throat rather loudly and diverted his eyes from his brother's…_erect penis_, to the equally annoyed brunette covering her body on his brother's bed. This only caused more blood to rush to his head and grew redder and redder within each second.

He barely heard Yoshi sigh. "Don't move a muscle."

_What is happening? Why are they naked? No! That's a stupid question—you know why they're naked, but _why _are they naked…in this house…No! Th_a_t was a stupid question too! They were having sex and I interrupted and nii-san is mad because he couldn't finish his problem and I _saw _his penis and that girl was naked and she had big breasts and looked stupid and and and…oh gods…I can't breathe!_

He was hyperventilating. Yes. But he wasn't worried about that—no. His brother was having _sex_! It was weird and nasty and stupid and just plain dirty! Why? Why in this house in that bed thatuse to sleep in when he was younger whenever he had nightmares. Ah! Gods, Gods kill him _now_!

"Whoa, whoa, breathe, Shiro!"

Despite his absolute disgust at the moment, Toshiro ended up listening to his older brother. The larger hand rubbing his back brought comfort in him when it shouldn't have, but it did, because he needed the damn consoling because _what the fuck!?_

He also hadn't realized he had said that last thing out loud until Yoshi flicked his forehead and said, "Watch what you say." Despite the absolute shame, Toshiro looked up to meet his brother's obsidian eyes. Nii-san grinned sheepishly at the little boy's recoil. "She's gone, just so you know."

Shiro didn't say a word.

"And you don't need to worry about my," Kiyoshi cleared his throat, "problem…I took care of it."

"I think I'm going to puke," the younger Uchiha whispered mostly to himself.

His brother laughed. "Heh, there's no need for the exaggeration."

"B-b-b-but…I-I'm not!"

"Listen," Kiyoshi turned serious as he gripped his younger brother's shoulders into his bigger hands, "I'm sorry what you just saw. I'll make it up for you, but _please _don't tell _anyone_."

Toshiro already came up with an idea for what his could do, but what confused him most—and what snapped him out of his panic mode—was how desperate Yoshi sounded. He himself, Ken and Hitomi know that Yoshi is sexually active and could give a damn if the rest of his family found out.

But he wasn't called a genius for nothing. A few months ago, Kiyoshi had gone through one of the most traumatic experiences in his life, and had only gotten better just a month ago. Thanks to kaachan, touchan, and especially Seiko-san, he improved greatly…mentally, that is.

His conversation with his best friend is what had gotten Kiyoshi's head out of his ass. Also, since that day, the two have been acting really weird around each other. Again, Toshiro _knows _that both have _serious _feelings for each other, but they're just too stupid to admit it.

Which comes to the conclusion that his older brother knows that Shiro knows his feelings for Seiko-san and is pleading him not to tell her of this.

Toshiro sighed. "Why don't you just have sex with Seiko instead and not some random whore?"

Yoshi blanched. "W-what? Why would you say that?"

Instead of the earlier disgust, Toshiro now felt irritated. He scowled at his brother. "Niisan, I'm not stupid. I know you want to have sex with Seiko-san, and be with her, so I don't understand what's stopping you both."

Sighing almost sadly, Kiyoshi ruffles his brother's hair...much to Shiro's growing irritation. "It's…complicated."

"I still don't see why you screw other girls when you obviously like Seiko-san."

Toshiro gasped at the sharp flick his brother gave him on his cheek. "First of all, you little brat, don't say those words in front of me—" the younger brother almost called out his niisan's own problem with cursing, and how it's _much _worse than his, but chickened out—"Second of all, it's none of your fucking business."

"Whatever niisan."

"Tch." Kiyoshi frowned for a few seconds before smiling widely at Toshiro. He ruffles his brother's hair again before getting up. "I'm really tired right now—"

"I bet."

The older Uchiha ignored the comment. "So, tell me about your team later. I didn't get any sleep last night."

Toshiro refrained from making any biting insults, but instead goes back downstairs to go eat something or train or do anything that can wash away the horrible memory that is forever scarred into his mind.

Damn his niisan and his weakness for beautiful girls!

Five minutes later, while his ramen was heating up, someone had begun knocking on his door. Knowing that it wasn't his tousan—Toshiro didn't bother healing his wounds—the youngest Uchiha made his way towards the front entrance and opened the door.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Ka-Kasumi-san?"

The short girl stood in front of the door with a hand wrapped around her elbow as if she was protecting herself from something. Her brown eyes weren't looking at him, but were directed to the side at the small, narrow garden just outside his house. Her long red hair was swept over her left shoulder. She must have changed out of her clothes earlier and into short, black shorts and a white tank top, though blotches of dirt were still noticeable on her tan skin. He couldn't help but think how cute she looks at the moment.

"W-What a-a-are you doing here?" He _really _hoped she doesn't notice how red his face was.

Kasumi clears her throat. The hand that isn't wrapped around her elbow goes up to his eye level. She was holding his weapon's bag. Surprised, Toshiro went to check his waist for his holster and found it empty; he must have forgotten about it. Kasumi was kind enough to give back for him.

Embarrassed, he began playing with the hem of his shirt and gently took it from her hand. "T-Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

There were a few seconds of silence, one that seemed to torment Toshiro so. He really wanted to talk to her, but she's just so…_confrontational_. He should be used to it given that his siblings are just like that, if not worse, but she's different. He doesn't know her, or how to avoid pushing her buttons like he does with Hitomi, Ken and Kiyoshi. The one thing he noticed about her from training earlier, Inuzuka Kasumi is one violent girl.

With a front tough as steel, and a strong right hook to go along with it, Kasumi is just not the person to come up and say, "Hi" all casual like. Not only would the girl look at you like you were crazy, but she would more than likely bluntly spout out an insult that could unintentionally hurt you, or hate her for life. Minato is the latter, and that pink-haired weirdo, despite how obnoxious he is, has got to be one of the nicest people Toshiro has ever met.

Kasumi on the other hand…

Despite her tough exterior, he really likes her and wants to be friends with her. But she's scary, and Toshiro is easily intimidated. But…she looks lonely.

"Um…" The twelve year old boy cleared his throat. "W-Would you…l-like to come inside?"

He kept his face down in fear of rejection.

"I want to…"

His face raises, confidence boosting.

"But I can't."

"Oh." And just like that, what little confidence he had when down the toilet.

His hand occupied themselves by playing with the string of his weapon bag. Fidgeting helps him. It makes the burn sting a little less. He was twisting and twisting to the point that his fingers began turning white.

"But…can I come by tomorrow after training?" That got his attention.

White eyes locked onto brown, noticing the nervous twitch of her brow and the small grin she has plastered on her face. It made his heart skip a beat, though he wasn't certain why. She looks vulnerable, maybe that's it?

He nodded, not trusting his voice to answer her directly.

Her shoulders sag a bit, as if weight had just been taken off. "Thanks. My baachan and kaachan constantly fight and touchan is the only one that can stop them, but he's away on a mission." She smirks. "Besides, you're weird and sweet. I feel comfortable around you."

He _almost _choked on his spit, but he controlled himself because he's an Uchiha, and Uchiha men aren't supposed to be swayed by a girl.

"I'm getting Aka from the vet today, so can we see you tomorrow, hm?"

Again, he nodded.

Her feral smirk turned into a genuine grin. "Great! See you tomorrow!" She waves and runs off.

It took five minutes to get his bearings before entering his house. It took two minutes to notices that his ramen is still heating up, so he turned off the stove. It took ten minutes before Toshiro could come up with a coherent thought.

_Why do I feel so nervous?_

Girls are weird; it's the fact of life. Ever since he went to the academy, to his graduation, and even now, girls constantly followed him and gave him presents and told him how they will marry him in the future. Others call his shyness super-duper kawaii, and some even ask if any of his brothers were free! He has never felt anything for the female species except for fear and caution.

But he liked being around Kasumi. During training, despite how rough she was with him, both in combat and in words, she never looked down on him because of his personality. She never undermined him, or patronize him like most people do, especially girls, because of how he acts. Many seem to forget that he is above genius level and could easily kill someone with little struggle. Hell, he's practically surpassed his oldest brother, Hajime, but it's his meekness that makes people second guess his abilities.

He couldn't help how shy he is, that's just who he is!

Kasumi didn't do that once and had given her all. But in the end, he had let her win. She was pissed, but didn't say anything. It's just that…kaasan had said to _never _disrespect a girl, and he assumed beating them in a spar counts as that.

But…he feels so _weird _around her.

Toshiro sighs and begins picking at his warm ramen. "Whatever."

He takes a bite of his ramen, stopping once he noticed Ken staring at him with an evil glint in his eyes. Toshiro looked ridiculous, he could tell. Ramen noodles hanging out his mouth, white eyes large and chopsticks stuck in midair—Ken-nii just took him by surprise.

Once finished swallowing the noodles, the young Uchiha wiped his mouth with his long, blue sleeve. "When did you get here?"

Ken shrugged. "A few minutes ago." His usually stone-like tone was replaced with something akin to mischief.

That was weird.

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "How long have you been staring at me?"

Another shrug. "A few minutes ago."

"Niisan!" He says, agitated.

Ken smirked, making his eyes wrinkle in response. "I saw that Inuzuka girl."

The younger brother immediately blushed. "W-What about her?"

"She looked happy, and you know, since I sometimes work with Kiba, I see her sometimes. And…" at this Ken tapped his finger against the table. "She's always grumpy. So, it was strange seeing her like that, and when I asked her what's wrong she said you allowed to her come over tomorrow…with her mutt."

Toshiro tried _very _hard not to look away from his brother's eyes. He shrugged. "So?"

Ken raised an eyebrow…the scarred one. He used his scarred face to his advantage; his face is his own interrogation tactic. "So? You never do anything without our parent's consent. What makes her so special?"

"She's a friend."

Shiro bit the inside of his cheek when his brother tapped his forehead. "Otouto, you don't even let that Uzumaki brat here without asking tousan first, and he's your best friend."

Okay, now he was getting irritated. "_So_?"

With playfulness almost foreign on Ken's face, the older brother placed his chin on his intertwined hands and leans closer to his little brother. "I think…you have a _girlfriend_."

Toshiro jumps up from his seat, chopsticks raised towards his brother's marred face. "That-that's n-n-n-not t-t-true!"

Ken wasn't a bit intimidated by the younger's cute, blushing form. "Okay, but you do like her."

He was so flustered he couldn't make a coherent response.

After a few minutes of, "I d-d-don't! W-W-W-We d-don't!" He gave up and stalked towards his room.

"Toshiro likes a girl, Toshiro likes a girl, Toshiro likes a girl!" His brother mocked as he followed him up the stairs.

"S-S-Shut up!"

Even when he shut himself into his room, and tried to drown out Ken's annoying mockery, the blush on his face never did disappear. But despite the absolute resentment he has for Ken, he's _really _excited for tomorrow.

Now all he has to do is get revenge on his two big brothers…those bastards.

* * *

AN: Also, if you're a Drrrr! fan, do you mind leaving feedback on my fanfic? I really don't mind if it doesn't get a shit load of reviews, I just want to see if the style is good or bad, or if the writing itself it good enough so I can use it for newer fics.


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